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Scaling democratic innovations: Features of Effective Catalyst Organisations & Future Frontiers
Resource type
Authors/contributors
- Claudia, Chwalisz (Author)
- McKinney, Sammy (Author)
Title
Scaling democratic innovations: Features of Effective Catalyst Organisations & Future Frontiers
Abstract
Citizens' assemblies and other democratic innovations are spreading around the world. But they do not spread by themselves. Behind every successful scaling story sits a constellation of organisations doing the essential, often invisible work of building capacity, establishing networks, advocating with decision makers, and ensuring quality standards.
These are what we call scaling catalysts: organisations that intentionally drive the expansion of democratic innovations in
their regions.
In this paper, we make three core contributions to the field:
1. We distil six features of effective scaling catalyst organisations, aiming to elevate the important role they play.
2. We examine critical tensions and trade-offs these organisations face, and how they can navigate these.
3. We identify five frontiers of future practice that can further accelerate the scaling of democratic innovations and promote
more deliberative cultures beyond the work of individual catalyst organisations.
This paper is for three key audiences: We offer insights for practitioners building similar organisations, for funders seeking to support this vital work, and for researchers identifying knowledge gaps.
Institution
DemocracyNext
Place
The Hague, Netherlands
Date
2026.01
Accessed
23/02/2026, 11:22
Short Title
Scaling democratic innovations
Language
en
Citation
Claudia, C., & McKinney, S. (2026). Scaling democratic innovations: Features of Effective Catalyst Organisations & Future Frontiers. DemocracyNext. https://www.demnext.org/projects/scaling-democratic-innovations
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