Our mission is to develop, support and campaign for new ways of involving people in the decisions that affect their lives. 

We believe that decision-making in the UK needs to be more:

  • Open – so that people can understand, influence and hold decision-makers to account for the actions and inactions of their governments;

  • Participatory – so that people have the freedom, support and opportunity to shape their communities and influence the decisions that affect their lives; and,

  • Deliberative – so that people can exchange and acknowledge different perspectives, understand conflict and find common ground, and build a shared vision for society.

We seek to create:

  1. Innovations – that demonstrate better ways of doing democracy;

  2. Institutions – that put people at the heart of decision-making;

  3. Norms – that make democracy more open, participatory and deliberative.

Our work is focused in three areas:

  • Advocacy and communications – Making the case for participation and deliberation as core and expected parts of democracy, and ensuring that people in positions of power and influence understand and support their use;

  • Capacity building and standards – Building the capacity of public servants and practitioners, and developing the body of evidence, principles and standards that support good participatory and deliberative practice; and,

  • Innovation and practice – Encouraging frequent use of participatory and deliberative processes, and ensuring continuous learning and innovation to improve democracy.

Find out about our projects.