This paper starts from the premise that the European Union’s Lisbon strategy, a comprehensive program aiming at the social and economic ‘modernization’ of its member states, can be understood as a conceptual debate that promotes activation as the guiding principle for welfare reforms. As a consequence, this process of political knowledge production has significant effects on the citizens’ life and life-worlds. At the same time, however, this debate is not open to citizens’ participation. Against this background, the first part of the paper explores the need and the possibilities of opening the process to citizens’ direct participation. Mainly drawing on James Tully, it argues that citizens’ participation in such transnational debates is indispensable. But rather than seeking universal participatory practices, the latter have to be developed in concrete contexts. The second part presents examples, of such practices and how social science and philosophy can contribute to their development.
