An open, participatory and deliberative legislative process

What would an open, participatory and deliberative legislative process be like at its best?

What is it about?

The systematic reform of the legislative process promotes the development of structures, procedures and participatory methods in representative democracy.

A discussion-oriented, open and interactive legislative process can improve the quality and coherence of legislation.

Discussion-oriented hearings and sufficient documentation and publication of their results

For the functioning of representative democracy in the form of the decision-making of Parliament and MPs, the public must have sufficient and timely information on the stages and content of the legislative process. This also allows the public to follow the process, comment on it and use various channels to supplement the existing knowledge base, options and assessments.

Stakeholders are consulted at different stages of the legislative process. Promoting consultation throughout the legislative process is important because it provides support for all stages of the process, from political decision-making by the government and Parliament to implementation and post-assessment.

What do we do?

Sitra will examine a participatory and discussion-oriented legislative process in a future report. The aim is to articulate what an open, participatory and discussion-oriented legislative process could be like at best.

The work will result in a publication to promote the systematic reform of the legislative process in order to further the development of structures, procedures and the means of participation of representative democracy.

Who participates?

The report will include interviews with public officials from ministries and Parliament as well as lobbyists from NGOs, among others.

Where are we now?

Work on the topic started in autumn 2022. The report is being drawn up by an experienced legislator and legislative counsellor, Jyrki Jauhiainen, in co-operation with Sitra. The report will be published in March 2023.

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What's this about?