Deliberative Democracy and Climate Change – exploring the potential of climate assemblies in the Global South

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an inter-governmental think and do-tank with a mandate to advance democracy worldwide. The goal of the new workstream on Climate Change and Democracy is to help democracies become more responsive in the face of the climate crisis by formulating and implementing effective, citizen-owned climate policy agendas. We want to inspire and support institutional reform to mitigate democracy’s structural weaknesses (e.g., short-termism, self-referentialism, policy capture or inconsistency); leverage democracy’s inherent qualities (e.g., consensus-building, free flow of information, civil society engagement); and foster democratic innovation (e.g., in accountability, participation, and representation) to better address climate change.