Information, consultation and deliberation

The wish to improve political knowledge, awareness and capacities, and to meet increasing demands for consultation between government and citizens, has resulted in many innovations, including: deliberative forums; consensus conferences; planning cells; scenario workshops; study circles; electronic notice boards and information; democracy kiosks; civics and citizenship courses; citizenship mentors; citizen panels, juries, focus groups and forums; denizen (residents, as opposed to citizens) councils; electronic means of finding others with similar political agendas and contacting others and promoting common action; consultation and interactive consultation; deliberative polling and online deliberative polling; petitions and e-petitions; shared mandates; civic service; rotating civic office.

Co-governance

Falling somewhere between direct democracy and consultation, co-governance involves direct citizen (and often organized group) involvement in the activities of the state. It includes: participatory budgeting; citizen assemblies; neighbourhood development; village and community councils; community policing experiments; and health, education and planning boards.