INSPIRE’s Work Package 5 is dedicated to advancing participatory democratic designs (PDD) that promote intersectional equality by actively involving citizens, public officials, and practitioners in co-creating strategies for inclusive governance. This work aims to deepen understanding of public attitudes towards inequalities and the barriers that hinder equality-focused participation. Through a series of co-production workshops at local, national, and EU levels, the project seeks to bridge gaps between citizens and public officials, fostering collaboration that directly informs policy innovation.

 

A key aspect of WP5 is the rigorous assessment of public perceptions through Q-method surveys and conjoint experiments. These surveys will capture the views of both citizens and public officials involved in earlier pilots (WP3), as well as adjacent stakeholders, offering insights into the disconnects and alignments between their perspectives. Additionally, the conjoint experiment will test support for different PDD models, weighing designs that prioritize marginalized groups against those emphasizing broad representativeness. This will inform the development of strategies that ensure participatory processes are not only inclusive but also widely supported.

 

Moreover, WP5 takes a forward-looking approach by integrating data visualization and digital tools into democratic participation. By embedding data narratives into online deliberative platforms, WP5 empowers participants to engage meaningfully in policymaking, transforming them from passive users into active co-creators of digital spaces. Workshops will leverage creative methods to explore how data can enhance the participatory experience and how digital technologies can deepen public involvement in decision-making.

 

Building on partners’ networks and expertise, WP5 will broaden its impact across consortium countries and the EU. Visual reports, enriched with storytelling and data visualization, will be delivered to bring the findings to life, ensuring that the lessons from WP5 inform a future where participatory democracy is truly inclusive, responsive, and intersectional.