The permanent Paris Citizens' Assembly is the first full-scale institutionalisation of a representative public deliberation, and it's composed of 100 residents of Paris selected by civic lottery.
Title
Brief description
The assembly:
- Is a voice of Parisians and representative of Parisians
- Decides on the topic of the participatory budget of the year
- Can call for an evaluation of a policy area
- Can submit a legal text once a year to be put to vote at the city council
Keywords
Citizens' assembly, citizen participation, Paris, deliberation.
City/Country
Time period
2021- ongoing
Lever(s)
Policy, regulation & governance
Culture, civic participation & social innovation
Capacity & capability
Methodologies
Citizens' assembly- To democratise and lessen the polarisation of Paris politics. Residents of Paris can recommend policies/evaluate policies
World Region
Scale(s) of the case analysed
Target audience and dimension
Domain(s) of application
Context addressed
Solution applied
Challenge addressed/ Problem-led approach
Barriers addressed
Main Practices
Impact
Co benefits
Engagement Journey
Impact to climate neutrality
Context & Public policy of reference
Innovative approach(es) addressed
Paris' Citizens' Assembly was set up include people in policy making; representing everyday people.
Initiator
An assembly of 30 citizens was formed as a result of the “Great Debate” launched by President Macron to address citizen participation in Paris. One of the proposals from these debates was to create a permanent citizens' assembly.
Stakeholder networks and organisational model
Stakeholders:
- Citizens' assembly- 100 citizens who work on different areas that concern the city
- Paris Council- Responds to bill recommendations
- Committee of guarantee- Ensures that the rules and regulations are followed. The committee has representation from the assembly, each political group in the city council, and from 4 experts in citizen participation
- Secretariat- One full-time employee who provides logistical support
- Citizens' Jury- Focuses on a specific policy question assigned by the citizen assembly
Network, communication and governance:
1. The Paris' Citizens' Assembly is composed of 100 citizens drawn by lot. Anyone older than 16 years can be a member, and does not need to be a French citizen, but needs to be a resi dent of France. Members have a mandate of a year, but it can be extended by six months.
i. The assembly decides the topic of the participatory budget program for the next year. Every year 100m euro is distributed to different projects in the city.
ii. Once a year the assembly can call for an evaluation of a specific policy area.
iii. Once a year the assembly can write a bill and propose it to a vote.
iv. The assembly can submit a legal text once a year to be put to a vote at the city council (work of the Citizen Jury).
v. Twice a year at a plenary session, the assembly comes together to make decisions and come to a conclusion through consensus or majority vote.
vi. The City of Paris will also respond to each piece of work that is produced by the assembly.
2. Citizens' Jury is called by the assembly which also decides the topic that the Jury will work on. The Jury can be installed once a year by the assembly to study a policy question. The Jury deliberates and proposes a recommendation regarding the policy question. The Citizens' Assembly then reproduces them to a local bill that will be be brought to a vote in the City Council.
3. The City Council, according to the internal regulation that was passed to establish this Citizens’ Assembly, must respond to every recommendation of the Citizens’ Assembly and the Citizens’ Jury.
An activity report is posted on the website of the City of Paris and is also given to the members of the City Council.
Democratic Purpose
Participant Recruitment
nteraction between participants
Resources
Key enablers
1. Role separation between the citizens’ assembly and the citizens’ jury ensures that each body’s work is focused and there is enough time for each respective task.
2. The large size of the assembly allows the members to self-organise into working groups.
Key inhibiting factors
Drawbacks/pros/cons of the solutions (after implementation)
Scalability
Key lessons
Indicators
External link
Federation for Innovation in Democracy. (n.d.). The “Assemblée Citoyenne de Paris” as an Institutionalized Model of Deliberative Democracy at the City Level. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fe06832bfc2b9122d70c45b/t/6254495193901652d1764833/1649690962821/Policy+Note+02+-+Paris+model.pdf
OECD. (2021). Eight Ways to Institutionalise Deliberative Democracy. OECD Public Governance Policy Paper. OECD Publishing. doi:10.1787/4fcf1da5-en.
Paris’ standing Citizens Assembly has real teeth, shaping policy and laws – and is part of a quiet revolution. (2022, July 4). The Alternative. Retrieved from https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2022/7/4/paris-standing-citizens-assembly
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