What Are Assemblies?

Deliberative democracy is rooted in good information and shared understanding in order to make informed decisions.

Assemblies, a form of deliberative democracy, allow people to have informed, open conversations, express opinions and share ideas in an inclusive, structured way. The recommendations or key ideas can either be shared with other groups, or lead to further assemblies, diving deeper into subjects.

It is important that the assembly process and what will happen to the results are communicated clearly. Keeping to the structure, as closely as possible, is best for everyone to have confidence in the outcomes.

Assemblies may be more or less formal. They can vary in length, complexity and cost, according to whether the decision affects a few people taking part in a small activity, or the population of an entire country. The three types below are just a few examples of how assemblies can work.

visual camparison between assembly types


Revision #16
Created 17 April 2024 14:00:50 by Emma
Updated 21 May 2025 10:14:27 by XRDeeds