Scientific assessment of the Austrian Climate Citizens’ Assembly

An internationally debate has developed on reforming democracy by using deliberative ‘minipublics’, constituted by randomly selected citizens in order to promote two normative ideals at once: ensuring sustainability while safeguarding democracy. These new deliberative method(s) offer a response to the deficiencies of representative democracy as part of a wider effort by democratic institutions to become more open to citizen’s input and collective knowledge. The aim of the present project "Scientific Assessment of the Austrian Climate Citizens' Assembly (SACCA)" is to contribute to the analysis and advancement of democratic innovations in the context of climate policy. SACCA provides evidence to guide future good practices and opportunities for institutionalizing citizens’ deliberation in Austria. The project conducts an interdisciplinary assessment of the Austrian Climate Citizens’ Assembly (CCA) and compares its results with other deliberative mini-publics at the national and international level.