Page 123 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

Step 7: Information What information do participants need to know in order to make informed recommendations? This principle addresses two aspects about information sources and the way they interact with each process. • Diversity of information • Importance of giving citizens’ control. Primarily, diversity of sources is key. Breadth of information increases the ability for participants to weigh up different points of view, but it also ensures that all the voices within a community or on a topic are being heard. This is critical because it complements the diversity of people in the selection process with a diversity of viewpoints in information sources. Information and judgement are required in equal parts to reach decisions, and while the judgement of everyday people has been shown to achieve very high levels of public trust it is imperative that the method of provision of information does not erode that trust. This means that information you provide to participants cannot be a brochure of government successes, or even worse, marketing for a result. It also has a large political impact in terms of the public perception of the process. 121