Sustaining Influence: The Legislative Fate of Recommendations Made in the Permanent Bürgerdialog in East Belgium

This paper investigates the implementation and legislative outcomes of recommendations from the Bürgerdialog, the world’s first permanent deliberative mechanism embedded within a parliamentary framework. Established in 2019, the Bürgerdialog has operated for a comparatively long period, functioning through cycles where citizens initiate the process by formulating a topic, followed by structured deliberation and drafting of recommendations. A distinctive and empowering feature of the Bürgerdialog is that it grants citizens significant agenda-setting influence and obliges parliamentarians and the government to engage with a prescribed follow-up process. Politicians must either implement these recommendations or provide a formal justification for non-implementation. Focusing on the implementation phase, this chapter analyses the outcomes of five completed themes: care, inclusive education, housing, digital skills, and migrant integration. By tracing the legislative journey of these recommendations, the paper identifies the factors that influence whether they are adopted, modified or dismissed. It also situates these findings within the broader literature and considers whether the Bürgerdialog’s continued operation since 2019 enhances its influence and institutional resilience.