Scaling democratic innovations: Features of effective catalyst organizations & future frontiers

This paper examines "scaling catalysts", organizations that intentionally drive the expansion of deliberative and participatory practices in their regions.

Authored by Claudia Chwalisz and Sammy McKinney, this paper explores how citizens' assemblies and other democratic innovations spread. It moves beyond technology-only solutions, emphasizing the "invisible work" of building capacity, establishing networks, and advocating with decision-makers. The research is based on 22 in-depth interviews with leaders from nine prominent deliberative democracy organizations across three continents, including We Do Democracy (Denmark), Delibera Brasil, and Sitra (Finland).

This resource serves as a strategic framework for practitioners, funders, and government officials. It identifies the specific organizational attributes required to transform one-off experiments into permanent governance features and highlights the need for "civic infrastructure" — networks, physical spaces, and legal frameworks — to sustain democratic legitimacy in a time of institutional distrust.

Source: DemocracyNext
Language: English

Author: Claudia Chwalisz and Sammy McKinney

Year of publication: 2026