How to Rebuild a Ship at Sea? Understanding Dynamic Institutional Adaptation Through Deliberative Innovations

The paper focuses on institutions and institutional change. It argues that reducing democratic deficits requires improving the ability of citizens to effectively shape policy. Institutional reforms should therefore seek to increase the ability of citizens to participate in forms of decision-making that can effectively influence the political process. Following this path, the author aims to seek effective ways to strengthen deliberative institutions, in particular DMP interventions in processes coordinated by the institutions of representative democracy. To achieve it, she examines 9 citizen assembly processes that took place at city levels in Poland during the 2016-2021 period, answering the question: what was the role of CA in the decision-making process, and whether and how (if at all) was CA integrated with traditional city government bodies? In this way, the study provides evidence about the systemic relationship between deliberative innovation and formal public authorities and sheds new light on previous research findings.