Trend: Collective intelligence 

A trend indicates a direction of change in values and needs which is driven by forces and manifests itself already in various ways within certain groups in society.

There has been an increased need for the use of collective intelligence in policy making to tackle problems for which broad societal agreements are needed. Collective intelligence is the process by which diverse individuals gather and share their knowledge, data and skills to solve societal issues. The requests to have a more participatory democracy is growing around the world, one that includes and engages with citizens. While technology can facilitate this process, offline citizen engagement has not been abandoned.

Following this trend, the EU has recently started ‘the conference on the Future of Europe’ - which aims to promote a dialogue between citizens, experts and EU institutions about issues of crucial importance for the EU’s medium and long-term development. Co-run by the EU member states, issues up for debate include the future of Europe’s economic and social system, sustainability, climate protection, innovation, digital transformation and the EU’s core values. 
 

This Trend is part of the Megatrend Increasing influence of new governing systems

Manifestations

Developments happening in certain groups in society that indicate examples of change related to the trend.

Participatory democracy

There is an increase in the use of participatory and deliberative democracy tools (which mean that political decisions should be the product of fair and reasonable discussions) in democratic countries around the world. Research tells us that participatory policymaking could lead to increased trust in political institutions and decrease the legitimation crisis (i.e. the decline in confidence in leadership, administrations and institutions). 

Signals of change: European Commission, Conference on the future of Europe, The Citizens Assembly

Institutionalisation of citizen engagement in policymaking

There are increasing efforts in Europe towards institutionalisation of citizen engagement in EU policymaking, as well as some national, regional and local governments in the EU (via, for example, citizen assemblies). This creates an opportunity for a government to tap into collective intelligence and involve people in processes that have been traditionally closed. How much will these processes transform EU policy? Will they grow in the future? More efforts are needed to have them implemented more systematically throughout the EU.

Signals of change: OECD

Technology to leverage collective intelligence

There has been shift in the digital world, where people are beginning to be seen not only as data producers, but also as active data subjects. This represents a first step for a more human-centred digital transformation towards the greater inclusion of civic society in the governance of future societies.

Citizen empowerment through data is expected to grow. Some of the examples include the so-called citizen science. Citizen science means public participation in scientific research. Citizen-generated data (CGD), or citizen-sensing projects, are initiatives based on people or civic organisations collecting, analysing, interpreting and sharing data to directly monitor, demand or drive change on issues that affect them. Consequently, citizen science contributes to creating informed citizens, overturn the information inequity and empowering people to engage in participatory decision-making. 

Signals of change: The Conversation, Data Shift, JRC

Social movements and civic activism 

Citizen’s relationships with politics have changed. Political participation has considerably altered from what was traditionally considered ‘political participation’ (e.g. voting, being member of a political party). New forms of civic activism, as well as mobilization, in which citizens act politically, are appearing through collective actions. Citizens are demonstrating their discontent in increasingly creative and disruptive ways, with increased frequency and intensity. These collective actions, civic disobedience and political struggles are further strengthened through digital technology.

One example is the recent women's rallies in the US, where women are asking for their rights. Similarly, civic activism against the increased violence against women during COVID-19 was observed in Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and the UK. Another form of civic activism was seen during the pandemic when civil society in many countries was engaged in sharing information about COVID-19, increasing the vaccination uptake or easing the impact of the pandemic.

Signals of change: Human rights watch, Frontiers in Communication, Washington Post, Carnegie,

Interesting questions

What might this trend imply, what should we be aware of, what could we study in more depth? Some ideas:

• How can citizen engagement enhance EU policymaking and help the EU’s global position? 

• What should be done with the outcomes of citizen engagement exercises?

• What does the push for civic engagement mean for European democracy?

• How could Europe benefit from social movements and civic activism? What will the consequences of these new forms of public mobilization be for European policies?