Consensus conferences

Consensus conferences originated in Denmark in the 1980s and are one of the earliest attempts by policymakers to include the lay publics’ opinions in their decision-making through public engagement. The purpose of consensus conferences is “to qualify people’s attitudes, inasmuch as they are given all the information they require until they are ready to assess a given technology.”. Consensus conferences are generally deemed suitable for topics that are socially relevant and/or need regulation which require public support.

Participants are selected from a group of citizens who are invited to apply. Individuals who are invited are members of the lay public that have no specific knowledge of the issue at hand. This citizens’ panel is chosen to be demographically representative of the public.

Members of the citizens’ panel participate in 2 preparatory weekends and are given material prepared by a communicator to gain a basic understanding of the issue at hand. The panel then participates in a 4-day conference. Over the duration of the conference, the citizens’ panel participates in a Q&A session with experts, where they get opposing views. Citizens then prepare a final document containing their views, opinions, stances, and recommendations for the issue. On the final day of the conference, the panel then discusses their final document with policy- and decision-makers.

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Wikipedia