15 October 2025
Speakers: Professor Jane Suiter (School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland); Joanne Caddy, (Senior Policy Analyst, Reinforcing Democracy Initiative, OECD)
Chair: Chris Shaw (Clerk of the Home Affairs Committee, UK House of Commons, and IPEN Executive Team)
Details: This IPEN seminar will explore the established and potential links between deliberative processes and public trust in parliaments and policy making.
It will consider the extent to which public deliberation on proposed policies can improve confidence in the policies themselves and in the institutions – governments and parliaments – responsible for their introduction. The aim is to help practitioners and advocates make the case for greater use of deliberative methods in policy making.
We will hear from Professor Jane Suiter from Dublin City University about the impact of Ireland’s citizens’ assemblies on decisions themselves and on trust in the decision making process.
From the OECD, Joanne Caddy will provide an international perspective on the available evidence base on the relationship between trust in political institutions and opportunities for citizens’ voice – including through deliberative processes – and will flag any gaps to be filled.
Participants will consider the potential benefits of deliberative processes in terms of public confidence, from the perspective of parliamentarians, policy makers and scrutineers.
This online seminar will take place in MS Teams and is open to members of the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN).
Find out more about the network.
Image: Speech bubbles on window. Courtesy of Involve.