Democratic Innovations and Political Participation. The Case of the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly (Rahvakogu)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the impact of the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly, convened in 2013, on the evolution of political participation in the country. This is a significant topic, given that Estonia offers relatively few opportunities for participation between parliamentary elections. The article presents a verification of the hypothesis, assuming that the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly has not resulted in notable alterations to the existing Estonian legislation, particularly with regard to the expansion of the catalogue of civic participation, both in the immediate and extended terms. The research presented in the article was conducted through the application of the decision-making method and an analysis of legal acts. The article is divided into three parts: the first part analyses the main issues related to the phenomenon of democratic innovation, including definitional issues and the process of its development; the second part locates the main circumstances of the convening of the Assembly, primarily in the context of the crisis of Estonian representative democracy caused by the “Silvergate” scandal. The procedure and stages of the holding of the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly were also presented. The third part was devoted to the results achieved and their impact on political participation in Estonia. The research findings permit the conclusion that the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly can be included in the catalogue of democratic innovations. This is due to the fact that it was an instrument for conferring a new role on citizens in the co-governance process, thereby creating new opportunities for political participation, decision-making and influence over representative democracy. Conversely, it is not feasible to assert that the Estonian Citizens’ Assembly has exerted a profound impact on the legal system, particularly in the context of introducing novel participatory instruments.