Data

General Issues
Labor & Work
Planning & Development
Housing
Specific Topics
Youth Issues
Collections
The POLITICIZE Project on Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe
Location
Wallonia
Grez-Doiceau
Wallonie
1390
Belgium
Scope of Influence
Regional
Links
The POLITICIZE Dataset of 105 Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe, 2000–2020
The POLITICIZE Project
Panel Citoyen
Start Date
End Date
Ongoing
No
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Consultation
Spectrum of Public Participation
Consult
Total Number of Participants
30
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Limited to Only Some Groups or Individuals
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Recruit or select participants
Propose and/or develop policies, ideas, and recommendations
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Sortition
Deliberation
Civic Lottery
Legality
Yes
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Decision Methods
General Agreement/Consensus
Communication of Insights & Outcomes
Public Hearings/Meetings
Public Report
Type of Organizer/Manager
Regional Government
Evidence of Impact
Yes
Types of Change
Changes in people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior
Implementers of Change
Elected Public Officials
Lay Public

CASE

Citizen Panel for Youth in Wallonia, Belgium

General Issues
Labor & Work
Planning & Development
Housing
Specific Topics
Youth Issues
Collections
The POLITICIZE Project on Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe
Location
Wallonia
Grez-Doiceau
Wallonie
1390
Belgium
Scope of Influence
Regional
Links
The POLITICIZE Dataset of 105 Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe, 2000–2020
The POLITICIZE Project
Panel Citoyen
Start Date
End Date
Ongoing
No
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Consultation
Spectrum of Public Participation
Consult
Total Number of Participants
30
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Limited to Only Some Groups or Individuals
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Recruit or select participants
Propose and/or develop policies, ideas, and recommendations
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Sortition
Deliberation
Civic Lottery
Legality
Yes
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Decision Methods
General Agreement/Consensus
Communication of Insights & Outcomes
Public Hearings/Meetings
Public Report
Type of Organizer/Manager
Regional Government
Evidence of Impact
Yes
Types of Change
Changes in people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior
Implementers of Change
Elected Public Officials
Lay Public

The Citizen Panel for Youth in Wallonia (Panel citoyen sur les jeunes en Wallonie) covered issues relevant to youth—such as employment, mobility, housing, training, sustainable development, and international openness—for 2025 to 2045, over four meetings held in March 2018.

Problems and Purpose

The Citizen Panel for Youth in Wallonia deliberated on the following questions, as developed by a committee of experts, academics, and citizens:

  1. How can public and private actors better take into account the needs of the young (in employment, mobility, housing, training, sustainable development, and international openness)?
  2. How to prevent the young from job insecurity after their studies;
  3. What are the traditional norms that should be adapted to current ways of life, in order to respond to youth aspirations?

Background History and Context

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

The deliberative process was organized by the Parliament of Wallonia.

Participant Recruitment and Selection

The recruitment process was as follows. First was a survey among 1000 Walloon citizens on the topic. Second was a qualitative study (involving a 20-minute movie) reflecting the opinion of 40 Walloons (gender-balanced). Third, among the 1000 respondents, 30 were selected based on socio-demographics characteristics (representative sample based on age, gender, occupation, social status, and geographical origins). Half of the panel was composed of young people (18-30).

Methods and Tools Used

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

The panel produced a « déclaration consensus » (25 pages including appendices). In this document, the panel participants develop 22 actions to be implemented, across 5 “strategic axes”: solidarity between generations; implementation of a safe environment in which young people can innovate, learn etc.; co-decision making with the young; simplification and accessibility of the institutional/political structure; and development of international openness and opportunities. The « déclaration consensus» includes several pages reflecting upon the organization and principles (representation, participation etc.) of the panel itself, as well as, in the appendices, the panelists’ opinions about the experience.

In regard to how the outcome has been taken into consideration by representative institutions (government and parliament), on April 21st, 2018, the head of the Walloon government declared that they would read the panel report, and would try to identify ways to pragmatically address the conclusions of the report. Participants in the deliberation had the opportunity to discuss the process by itself, its philosophy, and the organization of the meetings. Some representatives from parliamentary groups (Godfriaux, Knaepen, Lambelin, Ryckmanset, Warzée-Caverenne) had the opportunity to exchange with members of the panel, and to present some avenues for policy in order to address the conclusions mentioned in the « déclaration consensus» (the final document produced by the mini-publics). The President of the Parliament invited the panel members to assess, one year after the panel, the extent to which the government will have answered the “declaration consensus”. He indicated that the declaration would be sent to all other parliaments in the country.

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.