Inclusive democratic decision-making: support for democratic innovations among underrepresented citizens

    11 July 2024

    LISS Grant 2022. Authors: Take Sipma (Tilburg University, Tilburg Law School); Niels Spierings (Radboud University, Faculty of Social Sciences); Kristof Jacobs (Radboud University, Nijmegen School of Management).

    A key value of democratic governance is the inclusion of people with various backgrounds, beliefs, and interests; however in our democracy various societal groups feel left out. Democratic innovations, such as minipublics and referendums, are proposed to improve the inclusiveness of democratic processes. Yet it remains to be seen whether people who feel underrepresented actually support such innovations. So far, no studies have examined to what extent minorities in particular think about democratic innovations. Do they support them? Also if they are ‘majority instruments’? Will they participate? And why (not)? Questions that cannot be answered with existing data.

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