What is a community meeting?
A tool of deliberative democracy: it doesn't measure what people think right now, but reveals what people would think if they had the time and information to think it through.
The essence
A community meeting is a group of randomly selected people who are given enough time and information to form a well-grounded shared position on a difficult question.
Three things make it what it is:
Selection is by lot. It isn't the people with strong opinions who sign up — we draw by lot. That way we also reach those who would never turn up to a town-hall meeting, even though they live here just the same.
There is time and information. An opinion poll measures the surface: what someone answers in thirty seconds. At the assembly, participants receive background material, can put questions to experts, and have weeks at their disposal.
They think together, not against each other. It isn't a debate you have to win. It's moderated deliberation, where the goal is a shared position — and where you have to listen to the people you disagree with, too.
A well-discussed, carefully considered proposal can offer a lasting solution to a community's problems.
Comparison
How is it different from the other tools?
Each one has its place. The question is which is good for what.
| Tool | Who takes part? | How much information? | What is the outcome? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion poll | A representative sample, but they are only asked | None — it measures the immediate reaction | Numbers: how many think so |
| Town-hall meeting | Whoever shows up — typically the most determined | Whatever is said on the spot | Opinions, rarely a decision |
| Referendum | Whoever goes to vote | Whatever they pick up from the campaign | Yes or no — with no nuance |
| Community meeting | A drawn, stratified sample — present throughout | Background material, experts, weeks | A reasoned, nuanced recommendation |
The community meeting does not replace the elected decision-maker
The assembly takes over no authority: it formulates a recommendation, and the decision remains with the elected body. The commitment is that every recommendation receives a public, reasoned answer.
Background
Where does it come from?
The idea of deliberative democracy is not new: in ancient Athens a large share of public offices was filled by lot, on the reasoning that public affairs need no separate caste — an ordinary, informed citizen is enough.
The modern version took shape in the 1980s and only truly spread over the past two decades. James S. Fishkin, the American political scientist who developed the method of deliberative polling in the late 1980s, played an important part in this. Its essence is that a representative group of citizens forms its position after balanced information and shared deliberation.
The best-known example is Ireland, where community meetings discussed such deeply divisive questions as abortion regulation and same-sex marriage, and their recommendations were followed by a referendum. The method has since proven itself in France, Belgium and numerous city-scale cases as well.
The lesson is similar everywhere: when people are given time and fair information, they decide in a more nuanced and responsible way than decision-makers assume in advance.
Honestly
When does it work — and when doesn't it?
It's no magic cure. There are situations it can't be applied to.
It works when
- The question is genuinely open, and the decision-maker is willing to answer it
- The topic is divisive or technically complex
- There is time: the process is measured in months, not weeks
- The decision-maker commits to public feedback
It isn't suitable when
- The decision has in fact already been made, and only legitimation is needed
- An answer is needed by tomorrow — then a different tool is required
- It's a purely professional-technical question, with no value to weigh up
- There is no intention for the outcome to have any consequence
Curious how we do it?
On the methodology page we describe, step by step, how we draw the lot, how we put together the background material, and how we moderate.