From Participatory Experiments to Democratic Infrastructure

Carolyn Lukensmeyer's apt observations about Engaged California, BG2050, and the Fort Collins citizens' assembly prove that, when given the chance, ordinary citizens can enrich the quality and legitimacy of the policy process. We share her enthusiasm but draw different conclusions about priorities, if not ultimate goals. Lukensmeyer's emphasis is on continuing these sorts of experiments and moving them from cities to states to the national level. We urge reformers to prioritize embedding participatory and deliberative innovations (PDIs) into existing representative institutions. We draw on two decades of work studying deliberative town halls, alongside research on citizens' assemblies and other PDIs, to argue that only by embedding such forums within statutory pathways can one-off experiments become durable democratic infrastructure.

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