Citizen assemblies should involve citizens as experts on their own values

An article discussing the value of creating space for value-based deliberation in citizens’ assemblies.

This article explores how citizens’ assemblies (CAs) can enhance climate policymaking by incorporating public values alongside scientific facts. It critiques the rationalist design of assemblies that assumes that individuals will make good decisions if given expert information, suggesting that expertise and facts are still subject to biases, discourse and societal values. The author argues instead for a values-based approach that ensures citizens' can understand the implications of policies on their core values and find recommendations that can underpin and align with those core values.

Drawing from examples like the UK Climate Assembly and the Dutch Citizen Assembly on Energy, the author suggests reforms in CA design—such as integrating values in participant selection, deliberation, and policy recommendations—to foster socially accepted, effective climate policies. The article highlights the need to design citizens’ assemblies that can elicit citizens’ values and ensure that those values can be reflected in policymaking.

Author information: Goda Perlaviciute
Year of publication: 2024