Scaling Catalysts: DemocracyNext Paper Launch Event

​Citizens’ assemblies and other democratic innovations are spreading around the world - but they don’t spread by themselves.

​​Behind many successful examples sit organisations doing the often invisible work of building capacity, strengthening quality, connecting networks, and navigating relationships with power. In a time of democratic decline - and growing attention on technology and AI as solutions - understanding this relational civic infrastructure has never been more important.

​​This event marks the launch of our new DemocracyNext paper, “Scaling Democratic Innovation: Features of Effective Catalyst Organisations & Future Frontiers”, by Claudia Chwalisz and Sammy McKinney.

​​Drawing on 22 interviews with leaders and ecosystem actors connected to nine leading deliberative democracy organisations across three continents, Claudia and Sammy identify six core features that underpin effective scaling - alongside the tensions these organisations face and five key frontiers for future practice.

​​What we’ll explore

• ​​What “scaling catalysts” are and why they matter

• ​​Why scaling deliberation is about more than technology

• ​​The six features that support high-quality, sustainable scaling

• ​​The challenges catalysts face (funding, independence, coordination)

• ​​What’s needed next: technology, education, legal frameworks, community infrastructure, and public communication

​​Speakers

​​Claudia Chwalisz – Author, CEO and Founder, DemocracyNext

​​Sammy McKinney – Author, AI & Deliberation Fellow, DemocracyNext and PhD Candidate at University of Cambridge

​​Nicole Curato – Professor, University of Birmingham

​​Kelly McBride – Director - Capacity Building & Standards, Involve

​​Josh Burgess – Senior USA Advisor, DemocracyNext and Director, Central Oregon Civic Action Project (COCAP)

​​Moderated by:

​​Andrew Sorota – Head of Research, Office of Eric Schmidt

​​This event is for:

• ​​Practitioners and organisations working on citizens’ assemblies and participatory governance

• ​​​Funders and philanthropists supporting democratic innovation

• ​Policymakers and civil servants interested in institutionalising deliberation

• ​​Researchers and students of democracy, governance, and public participation

• ​​Anyone interested in how deliberative democracy can scale... well!