We often talk about citizens’ assemblies in the context of the quality of decision-making or their policy implications. But have you wondered how participants are impacted?
Marjan Ehsassi, with the Berggruen Institute, will draw on her experience with six citizens’ assemblies around the world, cautioning that while participation can be transformative for participants, actual practice does not consistently reflect this potential.
Adding another perspective will be Silvia Cervellini, who specialized in assessing public opinion before she co-founded Delibera Brasil, which uses mini-publics to engage citizens in government decision-making.
Join the conversation and learn to design and implement citizens' assemblies to ensure that participants leave the experience more engaged, informed and connected, and with a strong sense of voice.
When and where
May 16, 8-9 a.m. ET
Via Zoom, in English. We can provide simultaneous interpretation if requested in advance when you register.
Speakers
Marjan Ehsassi is a Future of Democracy fellow (non-resident) at the Berggruen Institute. She is a strategic policy advisor, practitioner and movement builder, and has worked closely on six citizens assemblies worldwide. A lawyer, she has worked to enhance space for civil society in some of the most complex environments, including Cuba, Iran and North Korea.
Marjan completed her doctorate in international affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), with a concentration in democratic innovations, deliberation, comparative government-led citizens’ assemblies, voice and design integrity. A former COO and executive director, she has led large governance teams and significant portfolios of over $50 million in development funds at the National Democratic Institute, Global Communities and the American Bar Association.
Silvia Cervellini specialized in public opinion and market research at the Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião Pública e Estatística (IBOPE) until she cofounded Delibera Brasil in 2017. Delibera Brasil is a nonprofit, cross-party organization that works to strengthen and deepen Brazilian democracy by promoting citizen deliberation. Its primary strategy is an action methodology known as mini-publics, which are central to citizens' assemblies and juries.
She is a political scientist from the University of São Paulo, with a master's degree in public opinion. Silvia is a co-author of the book “O que é Opinião Pública” and more recently the article Minipúblicos e Inovação Democrática: O Caso do Jardim Lapenna, with José Veríssimo Romão, in “Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais.