A new Guide on Public Consultations has been published – the last in a series of eight Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments, created by the International Parliament Engagement Network in partnership with INTER PARES.
Public consultation is essential to ensuring that parliaments’ decisions meet the needs of the societies they represent.
In democracies, citizens have the right to a say on decisions that affect them. On a more instrumental level, citizens are also a vital source of information that can help to guide legislation and policymaking to better outcomes.
Public consultations can be carried out in many different ways and can be used to gather contributions from specific groups and communities as well as the ‘general public’.
Drawing from a wide range of examples from parliaments across the world, this Guide presents four main consultation approaches for Members of Parliament and staff to consider when thinking about how to consult members of the public in the course of their work.
Read the Guide on Public Consultations.
Giovanni Rizzoni (Head of Unit for Parliamentary Cooperation and Capacity Building at the Italian Chamber of Deputies) said:
“Public consultations play an increasing role in contemporary parliaments. The Public Consultations Guide offers an invaluable toolkit for building positive and interactive relationships between citizens and parliamentary institutions.
“A lot of interesting and inspiring practices are showcased from several parliaments around the world. The Guide is an indispensable support for everybody committed to help parliaments to better represent and engage with citizens.”
About the series
Published in August and launched on 11 November 2025, the Guide on Deliberative Engagement is the last in a new eight part series focusing on a range of public engagement topics to help build parliaments’ capacity to engage members of the public in their work.
The series as been created through a project collaboration between the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) and INTER PARES. The Guides are produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the INTER PARES I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA.
The Guides have been developed by Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Juliet Ollard, (Senior Research and Engagement Officer, IPEN) in partnership with INTER PARES.
The project team have drawn from extensive academic research and parliamentary practice from across the world – including many interviews with parliamentary officials and academics, and the expert advice of our International Advisory Group and the IPEN Executive Team.
Image created by Research Retold