Building Public Participation and the Journey Towards Institutionalising Deliberative Democracy from a Parliamentary Perspective – A Case Study using the Scottish Parliament

Abstract The Scottish Parliament has pioneered the use of an in-house, dedicated team to support participation and community engagement within the impartial parliamentary service. As a result, it is in a unique position to explore the delivery of participative approaches from a scrutiny perspective. Following the recommendations of a citizens’ panel and a cross-party committee of elected members, and the support of the Parliament as a whole, the service is now working towards institutionalising deliberative democracy when the next parliamentary session begins in 2026. This article explores the Scottish Parliament’s journey to date and highlights key learning points and case study examples of work which may be useful to other legislative institutions on a similar journey.