Public engagement in national decision making

What the public say: Public engagement in national decision-making provides an evaluation of the experiences of citizens who have taken part in public dialogue processes, and puts forward a number of recommendations in response.

The paper considers what citizens have said about engagement with a particular focus on how engagement should be incorporated into governance structures. It draws on the evaluation of several Sciencewise-ERC supported and other policy related dialogue and engagement projects, highlighting keys views and insights from citizens and other stakeholders.

Amongst the nine recommendations made in the paper, the first draws attention to the importance of public engagement in critical, potentially controversial issues as a possible core part of delivering more openness and transparency.

The evaluator from the Future of Civil Nuclear Power project commented

“There was a general feeling that this consultation (and consultation in general) was money well spent if, and often only if, Government listened, took notice and what the public said made a difference”.

Another recommendation made in this paper is to support a move to the Big Society by developing a culture and working practices that are open at all levels - engaging participants in important issues at national as well as local level.

What the public say: Public engagement in national decision-making is a Sciencewise-ERC insight paper written by Involve, a not-for-profit organisation specialising in understanding public engagement.

Download the paper