The International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) has appointed an international Advisory Group to support an ongoing project to develop resources that will support parliaments to design, deliver and evaluate public engagement activities.
Supported by INTER PARES (a parliamentary capacity-building programme jointly delivered by the European Union and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance), the project involves working with parliaments and public engagement experts to co-create a series of eight guides on citizen engagement.
The guides will focus on a range of public engagement topics to help build parliaments’ capacity to engage members of the public in their work.
Initial topics for the resources include principles of parliamentary public engagement, youth engagement, and petitions and citizens’ legislative initiatives.
Other themes will cover education programmes, committee consultations, deliberative approaches, parliament as a place and space, and engaging underrepresented groups.
The project is being conducted by Juliet Ollard, Senior Research and Engagement Officer for IPEN, based at the University of Leeds, under the leadership of Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira and in partnership with INTER PARES.
Juliet Ollard said:
“Since the project is aiming to support parliaments across the world through these guides, it is important that the project includes collaboration with colleagues working in different parts of the world and a range of engagement traditions. We have created an Advisory Group of parliamentary officials and other experts from around the world to provide feedback, input and challenge as we develop the guides.”
The project is drawing on the experience and expertise of parliamentary officials and researchers in other ways, too, through interviews, workshops and pilot activities.
In October 2024 the team held two international workshops to develop a set of Principles for Parliamentary Public Engagement which will be the focus of one of the first guides to be produced.
The Advisory Group is made up of parliamentary staff, academic and third sector representatives from countries such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Nigeria, Indonesia and the UK. We are also drawing on the experience of small parliaments with representation from the Solomon Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as state parliaments in Australia. The group also includes a representative from our Public Engagement Hub partner the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Ruth Donnelly from the Office of the Clerk at Tynwald, Isle of Man, said:
“I am delighted to have been asked to be part of the advisory group for this project.
“Working for a small parliament, I am looking forward to being able to share the insight of a small jurisdiction and make a positive contribution to parliaments across the world. Small or large, we all have our challenges engaging with the public more effectively and working together is a positive way to improve democratic participation.”
Oke Epia, Executive Director, OrderPaper Nigeria, said:
“I am delighted to be part of the Advisory Group for this very important project. At a time of doubtful, if not decreasing, confidence in democracy, developing resources to foster public engagement with parliament becomes critical. As the bedrock of representative democracy, there is no better time than now to rethink, relearn, and possibly unlearn traditional ways of citizen engagement with parliament. I am happy to share thoughts from the African perspective to enrich the group’s contributions to the project.”
There is no better time than now to rethink, relearn, and possibly unlearn traditional ways of citizen engagement with parliament.
Jonathan Murphy, Head of Programme, INTER PARES, said:
“The Guides on Citizen Engagement will offer parliaments practical tools to support stronger and more meaningful public participation in decision-making. By reflecting on public engagement principles and the impact of traditional and innovative approaches to citizen participation, they will contribute to discussions and understanding on the representative role of parliaments.
“The role of the Advisory Group will be indispensable through the development process in ensuring that the guides are informed by diverse experiences, are practical, and impactful. The expert review and recommendations will support the creation of resources that truly bridge the gap between citizens and parliaments.”
The work on the resources is ongoing and the finished guides are due to be published in the spring or summer of 2025.
Juliet Ollard said:
“We still welcome input from parliaments while we continue to work on the resources.
“If you work directly in the area of public engagement with parliament or have academic expertise in this area – and would like to take part in an interview to inform the project – please let us know by emailing us at ipen@leeds.ac.uk.”
More information
The Advisory Group includes:
Natalie Badcock, Community Education & Engagement Manager, Parliament of South Australia
Ruth Donnelly, Head of Corporate and Engagement Services, Office of the Clerk of Tynwald, Isle of Man
Oke Epia, Executive Director, OrderPaper, Nigeria
Kit Frost, Senior Director of Public Education Programs, Library of Parliament, Canada
Lumina Mentari, Open Parliament expert, Indonesia
Alex Seama, Chief Parliamentary Civic Education Officer, National Parliament of the Solomon Islands
Professor Diana Stirbu, Professor of Public Policy and Governance, London Metropolitan University
Alistair Stoddart, Senior Participation Specialist, Participation and Communities Team, Scottish Parliament
Felicitas Torrecilla, Research Coordinator, Directorio Legislativo, Argentina
Dr Andy Williamson, Centre for Innovation in Parliament, Inter-Parliamentary Union
Images
1. World map. Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
2. Crowd. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
3. Speech bubbles. Image by Silvia Gaudenzi from Pixabay