As a non-profit organisation working for greater participation and dialogue in democracy, we are independent, non-partisan and politically non-aligned. Who are we?
Our project partners have included the UK Government Digital Service, the UNDP, the European Commission, NHS England, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Scottish Government. We also have received project funding from the King Baudouin Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and Luminate.
Our current projects include:
Public Square
Over two years we are learning about, testing, and sharing, how to improve participation in local government.
Open Government Network for Europe
We're working with the Open Government Partnership to develop a new network of champions working on transparency, accountability and citizen engagement across European institutions.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Supporting positive communication between residents and their council
We are supporting The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) ambitions to become a “truly listening borough”. Find out more about our activities, and how residents can get involved.
Populism and Civic Engagement (PaCE)
PaCE is an EU H2020 research project running from Feb 2019 to Jan 2022.
Civil Society and the European Citizens' Consultations
We co-published an evaluation report on the #FutureofEurope Citizens' Consultations in 2018. We're continuing coordination of a civil society network in early 2019 to take forward the learning from that process and to discuss the future development of pan-European deliberative and participatory processes.
Le Agorà di Messina
A 12-month programme to develop public spaces and participation in Messina, Italy.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Governance Review
Researching and writing a report detailing recommendations for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council about improving resident engagement as part of decision-making processes.
Space in Common
Delivering workshops bringing together those with interest in planning how Greater Manchester develops from a range of perspectives. Building greater understanding and exploring how a more constructive conversation can be created.
Participatory Budgeting Works
Promoting Participatory Budgeting in Northern Ireland through training and workshops.
Exploring innovative engagement methods for housing associations and beyond
Exploring how a major provider of social housing, care and other services can improve how they engage with customers and enable customers to shape their services.
Networked European Democracy
Small-scale exploration of the different ways that people at the local level in Italy can influence conversations and policy-making at the European level.
Digital Tools for Participatory Budgeting in Scotland
The Scottish Government commissioned Demsoc to conduct a research project into the use of digital tools to support Participatory Budgeting (PB), in the context of the requirements of local councils.
Incubator for Participatory Democracy
We're collaborating with the Council of Europe to help build a network of cities who are interested in building a more participative democracy.
Strengthening democracy and local governance in the Eastern Partnership Countries
We're working with the Council of Europe on a thematic programme strengthening institutional frameworks for local governance for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Supporting civic activism in Northern Ireland
Working with civil society and communities to build democratic participation and openness in Northern Ireland, informed by best practice from our work in the UK, and drawing on international expertise.
More information about the projects we are mentoring in Northern Ireland can be found here: Civic Activism Programme.