Connecting people and power

The Democratic Society (Demsoc) works for more and better democracy, where people and institutions have the desire, opportunity and confidence to participate together.

We work to create opportunities for people to become involved in the decisions that affect their lives and for them to have the skills to do this effectively. We support governments, parliaments and any organisation that wants to involve citizens in decision making to be transparent, open and welcoming of participation. We actively support spaces, places and processes to make this happen.

We achieve our aims by:

• Promoting a culture of openness and participation in public services.
• Delivering practical, empowering participatory projects, products and services that enhance and support collaboration between citizens and public services.
• Advocating for new and innovative methods of participation, the culture change that organisations need to make this happen and the skills citizens need to become active participants.
• Promoting an evidence-based approach that demonstrates good practice, effective use and clear, strategic benefits.
• Producing and publishing resources that support learning and effective participation.
• Providing sectoral and thought leadership around democracy, democratic strengthening and effective participation.

With offices in Brussels, Pisa, Manchester and Edinburgh, our work is undertaken by a talented and experienced team who are passionate about democracy and finding ways to make it work better.