Tom Ohlin from Linkopings University in Sweden emailed me last week about the recent Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy that took place in the Stockholm / Sigtuna area. According to the report on the Forum, the aim of the gathering was “strengthen democracy, political freedom and citizens’ participation. Safeguarding and deepening democracy includes measures to achieve greater and more equal participation on the part of ordinary people.”

The report includes several great articles on deliberative democracy in Sweden. In one, Daniel Tarschys – one of three general rapporteurs at the Forum for Future Democracy in Stockholm 2007, says that “democracy is about talking, listening and taking the views of others seriously. It is government by discussion.” Another discusses the way the historic town of Sigtuna improves public involvement through “deliberate referendums,” which are held when an issue in a specific area in the municipality emerges between elections.

You can read more about the forum at www.sweden.gov.se/democracyforum.

Sandy Heierbacher

Sandy Heierbacher co-founded the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) with Andy Fluke in 2002, with the 60 volunteers and 50 organizations who worked together to plan NCDD’s first national conference. She served as NCDD's Executive Director between 2002 and 2018. Click here for a list of articles and resources authored by Sandy.

Tags: decision making, international, public participation, research

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