Participedia

Resource Description

Participedia is an open knowledge platform that is accumulating a wealth of user-generated articles on tools, issues, perspectives, and case studies in the fields of democracy, engagement and participation.

Participedia aims to serve the needs of researchers and practitioners who seek to improve their knowledge and practice of democratic governance. According to their website, Participedia is a tool for strengthening democracy with its main content consisting of participatory governance throughout the world. In addition, there are articles on participatory methods, such as deliberative polling, citizens' assemblies, and participatory budgeting, as well as articles about the organizations that sponsor, implement, and study participatory governance.

The articles in Participedia include, but are not limited to:

• Articles about cases, or experiences, of participatory or deliberative governance (e.g. British Columbia Citizens’ Assembly of 2004).
• Articles about specific methods of public deliberation, participation, or collaborative governance (e.g. Participatory Budgeting).
• Articles about organizations that design, execute, or support public participation, deliberation, or collaborative public action (e.g. Everyday Democracy).

Because there are inevitably significant disagreements about facts, claims, descriptions, and even basic terms about participatory or deliberative governance, each article in Participedia has a discussion page. On this page, users are encouraged to record personal experiences about the case, note controversial claims or definitions, or simply register their reactions.