Research Project: Democracy Behind the Scenes

How are the conditions for effective citizen dialogue actually created? And what happens at the intersection between democratic ideals and municipal realities? In the research project Democracy Behind the Scenes: A Study of the Conditions for Implementing Participatory Democratic Methods, Digidem Lab and the University of Gothenburg explore these questions together.

The project is led by researcher Maria Sjögren at University of Gothenburg’s Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG), with Digidem Lab as the host organization. The research is made possible through funding from the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

The study focuses on the often invisible internal work of democratic development—where participatory processes are planned, adapted, and negotiated in practice. By following Digidem Lab’s work with municipalities and other public actors, the project examines the knowledge being shared in these processes, the opportunities and challenges that arise, and how this affects municipal democratic work.

There is extensive research on the effects of participatory democratic methods, but significantly less on how they are actually implemented in organizational contexts. Through the collaboration between Digidem Lab and the University of Gothenburg, the project aims to contribute new knowledge on the practical conditions of democracy behind the scenes.

For Digidem Lab, this initiative is an important part of its long-term work to develop inclusive and feasible methods for participation. The research will contribute both to academic discussions and to practical insights that can strengthen municipalities and other public actors in their work with citizen dialogue, influence, and democratic learning.

With support from the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, the collaboration between research and practice is deepened, with the ambition of contributing to more sustainable and effective forms of democratic participation between elections.

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