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Javnost - The Public, Vol. 33 - 2026, No. 1
Enhancing Communication for Democratic Innovations: An Analytical Framework for Citizens' Assemblies
Communication is fundamental to democracy, although this importance varies according to the different models of democracy. In deliberative and participatory democracy models, citi- zen participation and engagement and the discursive dimension exponentially increase the role of information and communication. Democratic innovations, emerging from these delib- erative and participatory traditions, correspond to the type of initiative in which communi- cation plays an essential role. However, communication processes in democratic innovations are still understudied. The scarce research in the field reveals difficulties in reaching the citi- zens and increasing public awareness. This study analyses communication in three different institution-led democratic innovations, namely the Conference on the Future of Europe, the Bologna Citizens’ Assembly, and the Spanish Citizens’ Climate Assembly. The case studies pro- vide examples of local, national, and transnational initiatives at the European level. The qual- itative approach to the three case studies was based on 30 interviews with participants and organisers of the initiatives, complemented by the consultation of documents. The findings are integrated into an analytical framework to approach the communication of democratic innovations, resulting from the triangulation of the results.