Democratic Governance, Environmental and Climate Challenges, and Societal Transformation: Deliberation, Inclusiveness, and Citizen Empowerment for Sustainable Food Systems

Demetra将通过分析公民大会和电子政务等新的协商参与性进程，展示缓解民主治理与气候和可持续性过渡之间紧张关系的方法。这些自下而上的进程可以是高度包容的，从而使社会各阶层都有真正的政治发言权。因此，性别和跨部门方面(例如，社会经济背景、族裔)将贯穿整个项目，特别是在公民参与方面。Demetra分析了整个欧洲支持向更可持续的未来过渡的微观、中观和宏观层面的机会；特别是将向更可持续的粮食系统转型作为一个关键的案例研究；系统地比较了粮食方案的设置、过程和结果，以确定有助于公民民主参与和共同建设可持续社会的最佳做法；确定最大限度地提高社会群体，特别是社会边缘群体的包容性和赋权的方案；并确定广泛适用的解决方案，以参与向可持续粮食系统的转型。Demetra的基础是结合宏观(机构)、中观(组织)和微观(个人)解释因素的多维方法；包括具有不同DPP经验和不同粮食制度的欧洲国家(爱沙尼亚、法国、德国、意大利、瑞典、瑞士和英国)的跨国家比较设计；以及基于多种来源和方法的综合方法方法(包括人口调查、组织调查、半结构访谈、参与者观察和公共政策分析)。鉴于气候的紧迫性和相关的环境挑战，德米特拉力求为可持续发展转型的民主治理提供工具。

DEMETRA will demonstrate means to alleviate tensions between democratic governance and climate and sustainability transitions through an analysis of new deliberative participatory processes (DPPs) such as citizens’ assemblies and e-governance. These bottom up processes can be highly inclusive allowing to afford a genuine political voice to all segments of society. Accordingly, gender and intersectional aspects (e.g., socioeconomic background, ethnicity) will be focused on throughout the project in particular with regard to citizen participation. DEMETRA analyzes the micro-, meso-, and macro-level opportunities for DPPs across Europe supporting the transition towards a more sustainable future; focuses in particular the transformation towards a more sustainable food system as a crucial case study; systematically compares DPPs’ setup, processes, and outcomes to identify best practices that contribute to citizens’ democratic engagement and the co-construction of sustainable societies; identifies DPPs that maximize inclusiveness and empowerment across social groups, particularly those at the margins of society; and identifies widely applicable solutions to engage in the transformation toward sustainable food systems. DEMETRA builds on a multidimensional approach that combines macro- (institutional), meso-(organizational), and micro-level (individual) explanatory factors; a cross-national comparative design that includes European countries with different DPPs experience and different food systems (Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK); and an integrated methodological approach based on multiple sources and methods (including population surveys, organizational survey, semi structured interviews, participant observation, and public policy analysis). In view of the climate imperative and related environmental challenges, DEMETRA seeks to provide tools for a democratic governance of sustainability transformation.