Page 80 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

78 A Project of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) How do different contexts shape projects? 1You should think about three main factors. Social norms What methods are available to you will be heavily shaped by your own social and cultural context. We’re writing this book for the 190+ countries around the world that make any form of public decision. What is normal in Australia may not be normal in Spain and what is obvious in Peru may not be clear at all in Mongolia. You need to consider many different aspects of how people interact with one another normally in your country before you embark on dramatically changing the way you involve them in political decisions. Some of these considerations will include: • Are people used to speaking openly in front of others? What about on issues affecting government or government decisions? Whether or not you have these norms or even protections will impact the ability for people to disagree with some political ideas. This will dramatically impact the way deliberation occurs and your ability to get people to participate. If, for example, someone cannot speak out about a law they disagree with then deliberation cannot happen. You should consider using types of engagement that will let you gather information from people in a way close to existing norms.