We have something to celebrate! When it’s time for the holidays, we have an extra party at Populytics. Because Populytics celebrates its birthday and turns 1! And of course we would like to share this milestone with you.

A lot has happened in the past year. We have advised organizations, companies and government bodies on their policy with the help of more than 50,000 Dutch people. And that’s something to be proud of! We also stood out in the media with our projects. For example, our research on corona measures appeared several times in the Dutch national media this summer. The highlight is a publication in Linda Magazine about our consultation on the medical inspection of driving license holders 🙂.

But a lot has also happened within the organization. For example, we opened our first office in Leiden and we were able to hire the first permanent employees. In addition, we had a highlight with our software developers where we built our software from the ground up and have now created a scalable first version of the Wevaluate platform!

The year has flown by, thanks in part to all those who, like us, believe in the benefits of involving citizens in policy making. That is why we want to put our partners in the spotlight: TU Delft, Public Mediation, Councyl and the Nederlands Platform Burgerparticipatie en Overheidsbeleid. Thank you for your support and cooperation!

And of course we would like to thank all the people who took part in the studies and who shared their visions, ideas and considerations with us. We can’t wait to get even more input from you with the deployment of Wevaluate in the coming year.

Now it’s time to relax and enjoy. We wish everyone happy holidays and a happy new year!

More information about this participation process can be found here.

Several media outlets reported on this project:

https://www.omroepgelderland.nl/nieuws/6792310/Inwoners-adviseren-gemeente-over-de-energietransitie

https://www.barneveldsekrant.nl/premium/lokaal/maatschappelijk/672198/burgerforum-kom-ook-met-alternatieven-voor-duurzame-energie-

https://www.scherpenzeelsekrant.nl/lokaal/natuur-en-milieu/672258/burgerforum-adviseert-over-duurzame-energie-geef-naast-de-laste

Recently Populytics CEO, Shannon Spruit was interviewed by the magazine Democracy in Action. In the article she explains how Participatory Value Evaluation can support local decision-making. Ending with this comprehensive list of tips, and the benefits of PVE for municipalities and residents:

Benefits for municipalities:

• PVE makes mass participation much easier and therefore more attainable.
• Decision-makers reach residents who do not normally participate in activities.
• The silent middle group becomes visible.
• The identified values are relevant beyond the issue at stake in the consultation.

Benefits for residents:

• Residents can choose when and where they participate and are included in difficult policy decisions.
• They can step into the shoes of a decision-maker and discover the complexity behind policy choices.
• In a safe environment residents are able to voice their opinions without bias.

Tips for municipalities:

• Think about your goals. This form of participation is most valuable if you really want to involve people in the policy and not only inform them.
• Manage expectations. If they exist, make consequences clear for the participating population.
• Think about the follow-up. Do not see participation and the use of this method as a one-off, but as a step towards improving the future relationship with your residents.
• Take the time to determine the right questions, how will you learn the most from your participants.

Read more here: https://lokale-democratie.nl/groups/view/e90f7550-889d-4cbc-8087-ec19de6f7eee/democratische-energietransitie/blog/view/f3ae0c05-dac2-4190-bb02-c6fc49fa7afa/inzicht-in-waarden-van-inwoners-bij-het-energiebeleid-van-sudwest-fryslan-dankzij-pwe-methode

The project, ‘The energy transition as a joint decision of municipality and community of municipality Súdwest-Fryslân has been nominated for the Galjaard Prize. Populytics’ researchers Shannon Spruit and Niek Mouter contributed to this innovative citizen participation project. They set up a consultation using the Participatory Value Assessment method where regional residents could indicate their preferences for energy policy.

The Galjaard Prize is awarded each year to an initiative in the field of public communication that meets the criteria of being inspiring for its peers, innovative in its approach, and having an impact in terms of its results. The announcement of the winner took place on October 29th, 2020.

More information can be found at.