Due to the influx of refugees in Austria in 2015, the regional government in Salzburg decided to initiate its third mini-public on integration (Gelungene Integration). Across 1.5 days, 15 citizens created recommendations regarding the questions, “What do we need? What can we do? What can we expect?”
Problems and Purpose
Background History and Context
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Like the previous mini-public held in the Salzburg Region in 2014, the present one selected 300 people from population registers, to end up with 16 participants. It is unclear, however, which criteria were used in the recruitment process.
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Through consensus, a set of recommendations were created by the mini-public. These consist of various aspects and can be grouped into a few main topics, including (1) what citizens can do themselves; (2) political measures; (3) codex for integration; (4) job; (5) language; (6) development of an open society; (7) civil service; (8) Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF); (9) housing, etc. On November 11th, 2015, a group of experts (with participants of the mini-public) discussed these recommendations and prioritized the list according to their view and feasibility. On November 26th, 2015, the mini-public publicly presented their recommendations to the regional government, public servants and interested citizens. Around 100 people attended the event at the Neue Mittelschule Thalgau. In February and March 2016, these recommendations were discussed with asylum seekers and reflected upon with the platform of integration by the Land Salzburg. These recommendations and discussions influenced the work of the region regarding integration policies. In May 2016, politicians gave feedback to the participants of the mini-public regarding the implementation and usage of their recommendations.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
References
External Links
Notes
This entry is based on the POLITICIZE dataset. More information can be found at the following links:
- Paulis, Emilien; Pilet, Jean-Benoit; Panel, Sophie; Vittori, Davide; Close, Caroline, 2020, "POLITICIZE Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z7X6GT, Harvard Dataverse, V1
- Pilet J-B, Paulis E, Panel S.,Vitori D & Close C. 202X The POLITICIZE Dataset: an inventory of Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe. European Political Science.