Page 14 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

12 A Project of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) There are f1our audiences: You are in elected office – or publicly appointed - and are finding the pressure of easily manipulated (and often easily inflamed) public opinion makes it hard to take complex decisions, resulting in these decisions being watered down or not taken. You are feeling pressure from social media campaigns over-simplifying issues, often with powerful special interests claiming to speak for the public dominating public comment. 2 You are in the public ser vice and need to understand how to commission and operate a process involving everyday people. You have been asked to consult the community and know you need to do something different from what you would usually do. Perhaps it’s a result of someone in a political role saying “Here, read this Handbook!”. The Handbook offers you a simple place to start in designing a deeper role for citizens in a public decision. 3 You are a facilitator or engagement practitioner who works with rooms full of citizens and want some specific guidance in how to deliver these project formats. 4 You are in NGO management or advocacy and are seeking a new way to get through a deadlock. After you read about this approach you may choose to ask governments for a process rather than a policy.