RAPID DEMOCRACY:
A FRAMEWORK FOR DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT
We live in a time when high-stakes decisions are mounting all around us; from our response to the climate emergency to addressing deep-seated inequality.
At the same time, we are facing a deep and growing crisis of trust in our institutions, which is hampering progress and fueling a sense of increased polarisation. Too often, this leads to a strategic impasse where vital choices are deferred or met with significant friction. People today have a natural and growing desire to be part of the process; they don’t just want to be told what’s happening, they want a meaningful seat at the table.
Bridging the Gap with Deliberative Democracy
Across the world, deliberative democracy is an emerging practice with hundreds of proven examples demonstrating how citizens can tackle complex trade-offs and make informed, collective recommendations. Deliberative processes include the core tenets of random stratified sampling of a population using sortition, independent facilitation and sufficient time and space to deliberate. They are crucial to rebuilding public trust and overcoming polarisation. But if deliberation also happens behind closed doors, and without greater public awareness and opportunities for participation there is a risk of it being seen as just another elite exercise.
This is where the RAPID Democracy framework comes in. Developed and tested by the New Citizen Project team over the last four years, this innovative model allows commissioners to blend a mixture of light-touch participation and deep deliberative engagement. By situating deliberative engagement as part of a wider public engagement journey, RAPID Democracy ensures that more people are brought into complex decision making on the topics affecting their lives, and at the right time, moving beyond the binary of simple consultation.
A Proven Framework for Institutional Change
For leaders and organisations, RAPID Democracy offers a structured and inclusive path to overcoming public distrust and bridging the divides that stall progress. By adopting this methodology, membership organisations, local councils, and national governments can increase both the quality and the legitimacy of their most difficult decisions.
The process has been used on a number of projects with proven results, showing that we can achieve real scale and visibility for democratic innovation. It helps organisations shift their culture to be more participatory, ensuring that the people affected by a decision are the ones who help shape it. Our RAPID Democracy report is an invitation to leaders of all kinds to collaborate with us and develop this effective way of working even further.
While RAPID Democracy is a strategic framework, it is built on the rigorous delivery of established deliberative models. New Citizen Project provides full-service support for Citizens’ Assemblies, Citizens’ Juries, and Deliberative Workshops. By combining expert deliberative facilitation with our unique structured approach, we ensure that every assembly or jury isn't just a standalone event, but a strategic partnership with a strong public mandate.
