International Deliberative Town Halls
IDEA has adapted its Deliberative Town Hall format to work with strong-party systems in international contexts. The Institute has organized town halls for two Members of Australia’s Parliament, and is currently working with:
- U.K. House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
- U.K. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee
- A senator from Nigeria’s National Assembly
Global Innovations in Democracy Parliamentary Exchange
In 2022, IDEA also launched the Global Innovations in Democracy Parliamentary Exchange, to facilitate U.S. Members of Congress and their peers around the world building relationships and exchanging their experience and insights on deliberative citizen engagement. The first annual Forum brought 12 Members of Congress together with delegations from the U.K., Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Greece, France, and Italy, and focused on innovations including Citizens Assemblies, Deliberative Town Halls, and participatory budgeting.
Building off its success, IDEA is making the forum an annual program, with plans to include a more diverse set of delegations and also to take U.S. Members of Congress abroad to learn about these innovations more directly. DEA also collaborates with existing multinational dialogue and exchange programs by organizing deliberative democracy programming involving the exchange's cohort of legislators and experts.
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