In 2008, the 211 members of the Bavarian Planning Cells on Opportunities For All met to provide recommendations on a wide range of topics. These included population growth, family, education, the environment, civil rights, and internal security, among others.
Problems and Purpose
The state government of Bavaria initiated planification cells in order to get insight on citizens’ public policy priorities. The scope was very large and encompassed many different areas, such as education, security, energy policy, and budgeting, among others. Planification cells took place between March 2008 and April 2008 in eight localities in Bavaria: two large cities (Munich and Erlangen), one medium-sized city (Weiden) and five rural districts. Each cell brought together approximately 25 randomly selected participants. [1]
Background History and Context
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
Participant Recruitment and Selection
The sample was stratified by place of residence: about 25 participants were randomly drawn from the population registers of two large cities, one medium-sized city and five rural districts (out of a total of 71 rural districts and 25 cities). It is unclear, however, how these eight units were selected: all of the seven main districts (Regierungsbezirke) were represented (Oberbayern was represented twice because of its large population) and a balance was achieved between rural and urban areas, but the exact selection procedure is unknown. All residents of the aforementioned places could be selected, including foreign residents. The only condition for participation was to be 16 years old or older. [1]
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Participants voted for policy recommendations, which were communicated to political authorities in June 2008. [1]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
References
External Links
Notes
[1] Paulis, Emilien; Pilet, Jean-Benoit; Panel, Sophie; Vittori, Davide; Close, Caroline, 2020, "POLITICIZE Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z7X6GT, Harvard Dataverse, V1
Data was sourced from OECD (2020), Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/339306da-en.