Public participation plays a vital role in shaping equitable and responsive climate, nature and social policies
According to a global survey conducted by the United Nations, the majority of the population want their countries to strengthen commitments to address climate change. Public support for greater climate mitigation is even more evident when the public is better informed and policies are well-communicated and perceived as fair across society.
Importantly, participation should occur at all stages of the policy cycle — from policy formulation and budgeting to implementation and the monitoring of policy impacts. Engaging the public early in the development of environmental policies can help build broad-based support and legitimacy, enhancing the effectiveness and implementation of those policies.
While many countries have embedded statutory public participation requirements, these opportunities may be late stage or unsubstantial in nature, not inclusive of socially marginalized groups, or may lack mechanisms to ensure feedback receives consideration or a response. Effective public participation may also be limited when not all groups have access to the same information, or when organized interests are able to join decision-making spaces or have a strong influence over decision-makers.
Greater engagement with civil society and deliberative decision-making are necessary to correct downward trends
While the concept of “meaningful” public participation is inherently subjective and difficult to quantify, a carefully selected set of indicators — tracking both participatory processes and their broader enabling environment — provides valuable insights.
For instance, the World Justice Project assesses whether there are active and effective civic participation mechanisms in place — an indicator that shows substantial room for improvement in most countries surveyed and is heading in the wrong direction. In addition to this broader measurement, it is critical to take into account to what extent women and women’s groups are able to meaningfully participate in civil society.
The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute provides further insight by assessing whether policymakers routinely consult with civil society organizations on policies relevant to their work. In 2024, V-Dem found this to be the case in just 20% of the surveyed countries, down from 23% in 2020.
Despite these downward trends, the recent resurgence of deliberative decision-making has shown some potential in generating publicly supported policies and greater engagement. This includes, for instance, “climate assemblies,” through which members of the public can learn from experts, deliberate on problems and solutions and provide recommendations directly to policymakers.
Downward trends in free and fair elections further spark concerns
It is also important to assess the extent to which elections are free from violence and corruption and whether they are governed by an independent authority that has sufficient staff and resources. These factors influence participation in the democratic process and determine whether social movements can gain electoral power to enact policies that benefit people, nature and climate.
Many of these factors are captured by V-Dem’s Clean Elections Index, which also assesses issues such as vote buying, registration fraud and government intimidation of the opposition. As of 2024, the Clean Elections Index was declining in 25 countries, highlighting a broader trend of global democratic backsliding.
The indicators presented in this shift are all directional, with an increasing trend indicating improvements in various aspects of public participation. While there are no specified global targets or timeframes, robust and effective citizen engagement in policymaking can only be realized if these key measures of public participation show rapid improvement.
This system does not include enabler and barrier indicators, as we assume the outcome indicators in governance enable shifts in other systems.