COVID-19: We’re here to help
Local governments are at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis. Public administrations, local health services and first responders are being put under incredible strain and their efforts are an essential part in...
“Positive or negative, emotions are an essential part of politics.” – an interview with Stephen Boucher
This interview is part of a series of 12 expert interviews on the future of digital democracy. You can read the full white paper with interviews here. Stephen Boucher is the founder of Dreamocracy, a think-and-do...
What is the difference between Old and New Power?
This blog post is inspired by the article “Understanding New Power” by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms, which is an extract from their book New Power. Power is shifting; many processes in our society are...
“Humanise the technologist, technologise the humanist.” – an interview with Adriana Groh
This interview is part of a series of 12 expert interviews on the future of digital democracy. You can read the full white paper with interviews here. Adriana Groh is the director of the Prototype Fund, a...
Monthly Civic Tech must-reads #5
Every month, we curate a list of interesting articles, reports and opinion pieces from the realm of Civic Tech, GovTech, and digital democracy. And this month is no different! In this edition, we’re exploring...
How citizen participation helps to rebuild trust within communities
In the aftermath of a polarising debate, public servants are expected to put the pieces of the puzzle back together. But how do you bridge this divide and inspire your community to move forward together? The answer...
“Governments have no other option than involving citizens.” – an interview with Tiago C. Peixoto
This interview is part of a series of 12 expert interviews on the future of digital democracy. You can read the full white paper with interviews here. Tiago C. Peixoto is a Senior Public Sector Specialist at...
“There’s a will to re-establish a sense of control.” – an interview with Daniel Korski
This interview is part of a series of 12 expert interviews on the future of digital democracy. You can read the full white paper with interviews here. CitizenLab – “How did you get into GovTech?” Daniel...
The future of Digital Democracy
Who could have imagined, just ten years ago, what 2020 would look like? Over the past ten years, our modern democracies have undergone a radical change. We have seen technology transform things for better, and for...
“What’s changed isn’t the technology – it’s the government listening.” – an interview with Marci Harris
This interview is part of a series of expert interviews on the future of digital democracy. The entire whitepaper, including 12 interviews, can be viewed here. Marci Harris is the CEO and co-founder of PopVox, a...
Is this a golden age for localism?
At the Nesta Government Innovation Summit last September, Geoff Mulgan, chief executive at Nesta, made a surprising declaration. In the midst of an unprecedented political crisis, he announced “a golden age for...
Our insights from Innovation in Local Democracy
We were present at the “Innovation in Local democracy” event in Manchester organized by the UK Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and...
A year in (p)review
2019 was a big year for CitizenLab. Four years after it was founded, our digital democracy platform is now actively being used by 200.000 citizens in 75 different cities. And yet, it still feels like it’s only day...
Monthly Civic Tech must-reads #4
The holidays are behind us, and we’ve almost made it through all 65 days of January. Time to kick off the decade with a breath of fresh air and a new list of mind-boggling civic tech reads. How does the...
Case Study: all eyes on the climate in Grand Paris Sud
Grand Paris Sud (346.826 inhabitants), an intercommunal structure south of Paris, decided to pull up its sleeves and work towards progress. In the spirit of democracy, they chose to seek the opinions of those who...
5 Citizen participation cases that made their mark on 2019
In 2019, citizen participation was bigger than ever before. Across the world, governments and citizens alike are discovering the true value of the co-creation of local policy and the impact of constructive dialogue...
![[Research Summary] What emerging digital technologies will impact citizen engagement?](https://www.citizenlab.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Emerging-1-500x305.png)
[Research Summary] What emerging digital technologies will impact citizen engagement?
This blogpost is a summary of insights from the recent World Bank report on the impact of emerging digital technologies on citizen engagement. Technology is re-imagining citizen engagement, but in what way exactly?...
Case Study: +3.500 participants share insights on care with Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator of health and social care in England. The organisation uses its voice to share views on quality issues in the sector. Staying up-to-date on what is going on...
A new Chile: the power of participation
Following country-wide citizen protests on a range of social issues, the Chilean Association of Municipalities (the AChM), has launched a large-scale citizen consultation. The Citizen Consultation of 2019 is a...
CitizenLab wins Digital Top 50 “Best Social Impact Startup” award 2019
CitizenLab has been awarded the “Best Social Impact Startup in Europe” prize at TechCrunch’s Disrupt Conference in Berlin, on December 11-12, 2019. The DT50 prize recognizes Europe’s top entrepreneurial talent....
What’s the difference? Radical vs. Incremental Change
In a time where problems with governance can be overwhelming, governments are frantically searching for a solution. There is a constant debate about how exactly a government should go about facilitating change,...
![15+ Must-Attend Smart City Conferences [2020 update]](https://www.citizenlab.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-12-04-at-11.46.07-500x375.png)
15+ Must-Attend Smart City Conferences [2020 update]
Every year, there are hundreds of interesting Smart City events across the globe, allowing you to network and connect with government leaders, civic tech startups and other urban innovators. And 2020 is no...
4 takeaways from the GovTech Summit 2019
Last week, CitizenLab headed to the city of lights to attend one of the most renowned events in the GovTech sector: the GovTech Summit! Every year, this event gathers Europe’s brightest and mightiest to...
1001 methods for citizen participation: which do you choose?
It’s getting a lot easier for local administrations to find support for their digital citizen participation plans. The e-tools that are built to simplify these processes have become more user-friendly, and...
Monthly Civic Tech must-reads #3
We’ve made it through November, and that means two things: that fondue season is officially open, and that this is the perfect time to conceptualise your Civic Tech plans for the year ahead. Are you ready to...
One tool, multiple possibilities: three examples of participatory budgeting
Recently, participatory budgeting has been the talk of the town(s). It would be a mistake to disregard them as a fad as they are, in fact, powerful tools used to make local governance more accessible and...
How much does a citizen participation platform cost?
When it comes to citizen participation, cost is often the elephant in the room. It is often cited as one of the main barriers for cities and local governments hesitant to launch participation projects. Large scale...
The development of participatory budgeting in South America
Participatory budgeting has spread across the world with successful cases in Vancouver as well as cases in Europe, but did you know that it all originated in South America? This participation method is a democratic...
Case Study: 10,000 citizens partake in Kortrijk’s digital referendum
In October 2019, the city of Kortrijk (76.265 inhabitants) was the setting of the very first digital referendum in Flanders. The key question: “Do you agree that the centre of Kortrijk should be car-free for...
10 Easy ways to be a more engaged citizen
If you clicked the title of this article, you’re probably looking for a way to leave a mark on your local community. But it’s easy to get sucked into the grind of everyday life. When we’re juggling...
Why citizen participation is key for policymakers
Citizen initiatives are gaining popularity, citizen assemblies are proposed as a solution to defrost polarised debate, and overall, there are more participation methods to choose from than ever before. We see that...
How to support local citizen initiatives
From London to Hong Kong, people around the world are demanding that their voices be heard by their government. Citizen initiatives are the practice in which citizens speak up to counter how their current...
Why being skeptical of democracy and government is not (always) a bad thing
Today’s political landscape is characterised by strong polarisation, a sense of unease, and a decline of trust in our governments (and democracy as a whole). Across the globe, this evolution has led to the...
Monthly Civic Tech must-reads #2
It’s October, and fall is officially here! Those rainy afternoons are perfect to settle down inside with a hot cup of tea and some food for thought. Every month, we curate a list with the most interesting reads...
4 main insights from the CrowdLaw conference
How can technology tap into the collective intelligence of the public and improve the quality of lawmaking? That’s precisely the focus of CrowdLaw, a movement, which originated from The GovLab, and consists...
How to choose the right participation method
Survey, idea gathering, participatory budget… when launching a citizen participation project, there are many options to choose from. A survey will yield different answers and reach different audiences than a...
