Implementation of democratic innovations in Prague (Czech Republic): an empirical exploration

The overarching aim of this article is to explore the implementation of democratic innovations in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. As a first attempt to provide a systematic, detailed and contextualized analysis of this under-researched topic, the study reveals new, important insights into the issue of democratic innovation implementation at the municipal level. Moreover, the choice of Prague as a case study - located as it is in a post-communist Central and Eastern European country - adds to the scholarly literature on the use of democratic innovations and participatory tools in European cities in general. The research uniquely draws on 156 questionnaire surveys and interviews with experts and local politicians conducted in Prague in 2019. Theoretically, it works with the comprehensive typological framework as designed by Elstub and Escobar. A wide range of real-world examples illustrate how democratic innovations have been implemented in Prague and how new participatory opportunities have been enabled. The article finds that while only certain types of democratic innovations have been used by the central administration (e.g. mini-publics, collaborative governance and digital participation), all of them have been applied at the level of individual boroughs. We also conclude that the implementation of democratic innovations in the Czech capital has been influenced primarily by the political ideologies of the leading parties.

Automated summary

The article aims to explore the implementation of democratic innovations in Prague, Czech Republic. Through questionnaire surveys and interviews, the study provides a systematic and detailed analysis of the issue and offers important insights. The research findings demonstrate how democratic innovations have been applied in Prague and the impact of political ideologies on their implementation.