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In the field of Democracy Innovations mini-publics play an important role. This is where a small group of citizens meet to help the whole system of people think through important issues. Most of these are "Deliberative Councils" like The "Citizens Assembly" (or "People's Assembly"), the "Citizens Jury" or "Deliberative Polling". In particular the Citizens Assembly is gaining great momentum throughout the world in "democracies," being used to spark better policy decisions. The "Wisdom Council Process" is a mini public and seems similar to these deliberative mini-publics. But no. It is quite different. One is about improving the current System. The other is about transforming the System as the chart below illustrates.
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1) Comparing the Citizens Assembly and the Wisdom Council Process
Download the chart as a pdf file:
In Sum |
Citizens Assemblies are interventions aimed at improving the decision-making within a “democratic republic” system. This social innovation involves citizens more directly in identifying which option best suits the public will and influences legislators in their policy-making. |
The Wisdom Council Process is a facilitative process aimed at facilitating all the people to come together in a new “We the People” conversation, where “We” reach shared conclusions. Just by adding this new ongoing to what exists can transform the existing “democratic republic” into a “wise democracy.” |
What is it? |
This is a large mini-public, where 50-200 people random people meet periodically over time to learn about a chosen issue. The group is given a well-defined problem, unbiased information and a set of possible options. A moderator helps participants weigh the options in small groups, vote and present the final results to decision-makers. |
An ongoing series of small mini-publics. Each one is just 8-16 random people that meet for about two days. Dynamic Facilitation is used so the group can face ill-defined, impossible-seeming issues and achieve unified conclusions. Each Wisdom Council presents its unified perspective to “the people” as a reflection, with the intent of stimulating a creative, “We the People” public conversation. |
What is the purpose? |
To make better policy by helping citizens to become informed and deliberate among different options, aiming for unity but ultimately voting on which is best. Then this view is presented to decision-makers and the public. Ideally this improves the level of reasoning and diminishes the power of special interests. |
To facilitate all the people to get involved in addressing and solving the biggest issues. The thinking process is “choice-creating,” where creativity is valued over deliberation, and unity is the necessary outcome. Ultimately this process seeks to transform the system to wise democracy, where “We the People” assume ultimate authority. |
Who sets this up? |
Usually the government, where sometimes elected officials commit ahead of time to listen or maybe to allow a public vote. |
The Wisdom Council Process is best set up by a non-governmental non-profit organization with the interest and support of government. |
Who is the audience? |
Decision-makers. Recommendations on policy are provided to already-established decision-makers. |
The general public. Each Wisdom Council presents a reflection to the general public, including decision-makers. |
What are the results? |
… Better policy, plus more involvement, better education on the issue, more rational thinking, better decision-making, less money-in-politics, etc. |
1) Content results: A community-wide shared perspective on the problem. 2) Process results: A new spirit of trust in one another and institutions. 3) Systemic results: A legitimate capable “We the People” conversation is added to the existing System. |
What process of thinking is desired? |
Deliberation … people seek to be unemotional, detached, informed and rational in assessing the situation and weighing the options. They influence one another in discussions. |
Choice-creating … Wisdom Council members are dynamically facilitated to face hot issues creatively together and achieve win/win perspectives. Choice-creating is primarily driven by feelings and emotions, to provide breakthrough potential. |
Who is the facilitator? |
A neutral moderator guides people on a step-by-step journey to good “decision-making,” which may include dialogue, analysis, discussions, deliberation and voting. |
A facilitator skilled in Dynamic Facilitation reliably evokes the spirit of “choice-creating” in each Wisdom Council. Ongoing Wisdom Councils “dynamically facilitate” the whole-system conversation. |
Example of its use |
In British Columbia 153 random citizens met monthly over a year to investigate “how best to hold elections”. Different approaches were presented and after careful deliberations a vote was ultimately taken. 146 to 7 the Citizens Assembly recommended that a “single transferable vote” system be adopted, vs. “majority rule". Then there was a public referendum on the issue, which required 60% of the vote. Despite overwhelming support within the Assembly, the media treated the issue with false equivalency. And the proposal was ultimately rejected. ($5 million cost) |
Near Mauthausen, Austria are the ruins of a large NAZI concentration camp. Many locals were glad it was fading away and wanted it to be forgotten. But three Wisdom Councils were convened. One type of result arose from the process where people said,“We are finally talking about this!” and “Now the healing can begin.” Also, the Wisdom Councils came to a unified conclusion that “we need to protect this memorial” and “we need to become a Center for Human Rights education.” Also, the WC’s created a new system of three-city governance and bi-annual Human Rights conferences at the War memorial. |
How might this be used to address climate change? |
Citizens Assemblies can be used at the city, national or state levels on the issue of climate change. This builds interest, knowledge and momentum for policy measures at those levels. But fundamentally the issue is global where there are no “decision-makers” |
A few people with adequate resources can initiate a global Wisdom Council Process. The aim is to facilitate “one ongoing global choice-creating conversation” where all the people get involved over time, face the issue and come to shared perspectives. This process can become a new form of global governance by which to steward the biosphere. |
2) In the short video below the Wisdom Council Process is referred to as the Bürgerräte (or "Citizens Council") vs. the Citizens Assembly.
Other resources
- Episode #34 of “Facilitating Public Deliberations”, where Jim Rough is interviewed by Dr. Lyn Carson, Director of Research at the New Democracy Foundation in Australia. Jim describes how the Wisdom Council Process is distinct from "Deliberative Democracy".
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