Material Democracy: Reducing polarization via material participation

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and the green transition are forcing rapid, large-scale changes to infrastructure, energy systems, and land use. The decisions behind these sustainability transitions are technically complex, and have long-term consequences for people’s lives. The processes through which planning of infrastructures and energy systems happens can be difficult for citizens to access and understand, and discussions tend to concentrate among experts and policy-makers. The resulting gap between citizens and the policies that shape their lives may fuel polarization.

Material Democracy asks how participation could work differently

Rather than focusing only on whether citizens are included in policymaking, the project examines how participation can make better use of knowledge, skills and perspectives that people bring to sustainability transitions.

It also asks when participation happens. Much of what is known about democratic involvement and social acceptance in energy and infrastructure concerns the implementation stage, by which the options have been set. The decisive work happens earlier, while the options are still being drawn up for infrastructure and energy systems that will run to 2050. That stage is much less well understood. The project examines that phase, and works to improve the practices through which energy and environmental policy is prepared.

The project looks at participation across different levels, from national policymaking and long-term infrastructure planning to stakeholder processes and everyday climate and energy practices. It pays attention to the material and social arrangements through which participation happens: the formats used, who they reach, and what impacts they produce.

What shapes how we participate?

Participation does not happen in a vacuum. A survey, a workshop or a working group gives people very different possibilities of participating.

Material participation means understanding participation as shaped by its concrete arrangements: the tools, spaces, formats, technologies and practices through which people participate. These arrangements are not neutral. They influence whose knowledge becomes visible, who is able to participate and ultimately what kinds of democratic outcomes become possible. By changing these arrangements, participation can be opened to different people, forms of knowledge and ways of contributing, making participation more meaningful to citizens and policymakers.

Contested questions about nature and natural resources are settled in working groups at national, regional and local level. Working with Saimaa ringed seal conservation groups and regional forest councils, the project studies how these groups operate and redesigns their ways of working with the people in them.

Material Democracy also explores whether everyday climate and energy practices, such as self-build courses or repair workshops can become forms of citizen participation and help mitigate affective polarization. It explores how participating in these activities affects people’s political views and who is able to engage in local climate action. The aim is to identify which forms of material participation reduce polarization, and which reach only those already engaged.

Demos Helsinki’s role

Demos Helsinki participates in the research activities and lead’s the projects interaction and communication work. We have established a Material Democracy Hub for sharing examples, experiences and lessons on participation in sustainability transformations. The hub maps practices and will provide a database for practitioners, and it organises events, such as virtual morning coffees (see recordings of previous events here (in Finnish).

About the project

Material Democracy (December 2024 – November 2027) is part of the Democracy for the Future program funded by the Strategic Research Council of Finland. The Material Democracy consortium consists of research teams from Aalto University, LUT University, University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki and Demos Helsinki.

Visit the project website in English or in Finnish. You can also follow our active LinkedIn page and register to our newsletter to receive event invites (in Finnish).

Contact at Demos Helsinki: Satu Lähteenoja, interaction lead, satu.lahteenoja@demoshelsinki.fi

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Image: Rob Curran / Unsplash