Best Practice in Politics
We curate exemplary political work that successfully tackles today’s most pressing issues. This platform is a hub of tried and tested best practices in politics.
“Casettiamo, insieme possiamo!” – Changing the city together
A beautiful municipality with a decaying economy and population sees a revival of community life by involving citizens in all aspects of re-designing the city.
300K – Have Your Say – Participatory Budgeting
Citizens in South Dublin vote to allocate a portion of the council’s budget to projects designed and submitted by residents.
4 Day Week Campaign
The 4 Day Week campaign advocates for a shorter working week with no loss of pay, helping workers achieve better working conditions and overall work-life balance.
A Council that Cares: Including Care Experienced Young People in Local Democracy
This initiative by Cumberland Council champions care-experienced children and young people, tackling inequalities and empowering their voices across employment, education, and community opportunities.
Administrative Exchange – Baratto Amministrativo
As an alternative to paying directly to the Municipality, taxpayers can voluntarily settle unpaid fees by working for the community.
Bristol’s First Citizens’ Assembly
A representative group of citizens discuss three challenging topics and make recommendations which will inform the city’s plans for the future.
Brunnenpassage: A Space for Participatory Art Production
Brunnenpassage operates as a space for professional artists and amateurs to co-create art, thus fostering social cohesion in a highly diverse neighbourhood.
Building Trust and Social Inclusion with Digital Identities
A system developed in Switzerland creates trustworthy government communication channels and digital identities for citizens.
Citizen Empowerment: problem solving in the community
A platform allows citizens to engage in a constructive dialogue with Tundzha Municipality and find agreements about regional projects.
Citizens of Ankara: Re-Assemble!
This innovative Citizens’ Assembly fosters trust and engagement among citizens and local stakeholders, building a more resilient and cohesive social and political landscape across the City of Ankara.
Citizens Round Tables / Urban Walks
Once a year, participative democracy takes place through discussing locally relevant issues with the officials over a cup of coffee or on the go, with the results being published on the town’s website.
Citizens’ Cabinet
A system in Brussels engages citizens, allowing residents from different language groups to discuss their ideas and perceptions of the city, and to bring them into the political decision-making process.
Collaborative and Transparent Drafting of the Digital Republic Bill
New ways of lawmaking in France allow citizens to take part in the digital drafting of a bill, which eventually gets adopted unanimously both by the National Assembly and the Senate.
Communecter – Connect with your Municipality
An exchange platform for feedback and proposals intends to enable each citizen to contribute directly to projects and the governance of a territory, at the neighbourhood, municipal, and regional level.
Community Power
Community Power brings low-income communities together with Cumberland Council to co-create new ways to work together.
Consultations for the Łodź 2030+ Strategy – Co-Created City
Residents are involved in the creation of the city’s development strategy, enabling the realisation of a shared vision for the future.
Cooking and Chatting in Bielefeld
This initiative is about sharing a public meal as part of a quarterly event, where citizens and politicians come together to cook, eat, and discuss.
Cooperative Council Groningen
Neighbourhood ambassadors and randomly selected citizens work with politicians to build trust between people and politics, connecting participatory and representative sides of democracy.
Corruption Prevention through Civic Engagement
A platform connects people to crowdsource actionable data on corruption, offers training and educational activities, and helps find solutions and close legislative gaps.
Create Lithuania
Lithuanian professionals with internationally acquired experience help the Lithuanian Government adopt the best foreign practices.
Decidim
This free open-source platform allows institutions all over the world to initiate participation processes, leading to the democratisation of development.
Deliberative Committees
A new permanent procedure engages randomly selected citizens in policy-making alongside parliamentarians, to democratise reforms and increase public support for decisions.
Diversity Management
The City of Mannheim sets the pace for respectful, intercultural urban coexistence, with a round table on diversity management and strategies, such as anonymous application procedures.
Divestment from Fossil Fuels
A law is passed to divest public funds from companies who explore, extract, or process fossil fuels.
E-sports and Politics Live from the Swedish Parliament
A Swedish politician reaches out to young people with live weekly discussions on an internet platform, revealing to young people that all topics, even online e-sports, are politically relevant.
Eberswalde Citizens’ Budget
A system of participatory budgeting is questioned and redefined in order to encourage maximum participation with a low-threshold voting event.
Electoral District Citizen Assemblies
Electoral District Citizen Assemblies (EDCAs) renew the relationship between residents and their local MPs, with a focus on engaging with those people who are disillusioned and frustrated with the current political scene. Anywhere around Europe a growing number of citizens – the “invisible third” – feels left behind by the political establishment. EDCAs are a low-threshold approach to involve all parts of society into a non-partisan political debate based on random selection and door to door motivation to participate.
Empower Young Voices
Empower Young Voices is a youth-led initiative enhancing civic engagement and local influence among young people aged 12 to 29, shaping municipal policies through skills-building, participation, and dialogue.
Engagement for Glarus!
Am online platform encourages civic and political engagement of children and adolescents in the Canton, and recognises them as citizens.
Ferla Agorà – Ideas Square
Citizens take part in the democratic process and the governance of their town by meeting on the main square to discuss and vote on current issues.
Fluicity
This transparent platform enables effective public participation in local governance.
Forum against Fakes – Together for a Strong Democracy
The Forum against Fakes – Together for a Strong Democracy fosters a nationwide, inclusive debate to combat disinformation and strengthen democratic trust in Germany.
Frankfurt Democracy Convention 2019
Citizens are randomly selected to represent society and discuss relevant issues to reduce alienation from politics and increase active participation in local democracy.
Free Public Transport in Luxembourg
Revolutionary yet simple – free public transport enhances the environmental sustainability, social welfare, and quality of life of the residents of this small country.
Free Public Transportation
A Municipality in Bulgaria offers free public transport by purchasing its own buses instead of hiring a company to provide the service.
Free Republic of Vienna
Free Republic of Vienna is a pioneering cultural initiative that radically democratises decision-making within Europe’s largest cross-over festival by empowering citizens to co-shape its future.
Gdynia Storm Shelter
A complex system of financial, social, and cultural support services helps local residents in all social groups weather the “storm” of the coronavirus pandemic.
GovTech Lab
Emerging technologies from different innovative players are used to solve public sector challenges in Lithuania.
GPB + Youth: Young Voices, Real Choices
GPB + Youth is a participatory democracy mechanism with a deliberative nature, giving young people in Gaia – aged 13 to 30 – the power to decide how municipal public funds should be invested.
Graz Fund for Promotion and Development
Graz supports the professional development of the working population at risk of poverty, with grants for education and training.
Green Budget
A citizen budget in Lublin is dedicated to the allocation of new green spaces throughout the city, developed and chosen by citizens.
Hello Bundestag (Hallo Bundestag): Electoral District Days
This project reimagines Germany’s electoral districts as spaces for inclusive, structured dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives to rebuild trust in democracy.
Helping Teenagers Imagine their Future
The project enables young people to understand their rights and grow within a democracy, by holding meetings in the Municipal House.
Helvetia Calls!
Helvetia, the female national personification of Switzerland, campaigns for women to enter politics, run for office, and improve democracy.
“Casettiamo, insieme possiamo!” – Changing the city together
A beautiful municipality with a decaying economy and population sees a revival of community life by involving citizens in all aspects of re-designing the city.
300K – Have Your Say – Participatory Budgeting
Citizens in South Dublin vote to allocate a portion of the council’s budget to projects designed and submitted by residents.
4 Day Week Campaign
The 4 Day Week campaign advocates for a shorter working week with no loss of pay, helping workers achieve better working conditions and overall work-life balance.
A Council that Cares: Including Care Experienced Young People in Local Democracy
This initiative by Cumberland Council champions care-experienced children and young people, tackling inequalities and empowering their voices across employment, education, and community opportunities.
Administrative Exchange – Baratto Amministrativo
As an alternative to paying directly to the Municipality, taxpayers can voluntarily settle unpaid fees by working for the community.
Bristol’s First Citizens’ Assembly
A representative group of citizens discuss three challenging topics and make recommendations which will inform the city’s plans for the future.
Brunnenpassage: A Space for Participatory Art Production
Brunnenpassage operates as a space for professional artists and amateurs to co-create art, thus fostering social cohesion in a highly diverse neighbourhood.
Building Trust and Social Inclusion with Digital Identities
A system developed in Switzerland creates trustworthy government communication channels and digital identities for citizens.
Citizen Empowerment: problem solving in the community
A platform allows citizens to engage in a constructive dialogue with Tundzha Municipality and find agreements about regional projects.
Citizens of Ankara: Re-Assemble!
This innovative Citizens’ Assembly fosters trust and engagement among citizens and local stakeholders, building a more resilient and cohesive social and political landscape across the City of Ankara.
Citizens Round Tables / Urban Walks
Once a year, participative democracy takes place through discussing locally relevant issues with the officials over a cup of coffee or on the go, with the results being published on the town’s website.
Citizens’ Cabinet
A system in Brussels engages citizens, allowing residents from different language groups to discuss their ideas and perceptions of the city, and to bring them into the political decision-making process.
The Winners
of the Innovation in Politics Awards 2024
Foodcard: dignified state food aid for people in need
The Foodcard is an innovative solution which gives people the freedom and dignity to choose what food and necessities to buy, and from where.
Lithuania’s Testbed Programme for EdTech Startups
The Testbed Programme is a practical way for schools and creators to test the latest educational technologies in a real learning environment.
Condominium E-Voting – Successful E-Democracy
Condominium E-Voting allows residents to communicate their housing issues in a quick, easy, and safe manner, enhancing their engagement in the decision-making process and improving the efficiency of services.
