Incite-Dem will provide guidance on how to strengthen political participation and civic engagement and increase political trust and satisfaction with democracy to address socio-ecological challenges.

This task will produce a set of policy synthesis documents identifying key solutions that can be implemented to improve participation and engagement, including the interaction between policymakers and citizens via robust and transparent mutual feedback mechanisms, and to foster political trust, democratic wellbeing, and inclusiveness in pursuit of eco-social transformation.

First, a policy brief will be delivered. Second, four synthesis papers will be developed with interrelated foci: (i) strengthened political participation and civic engagement (also considering aspects such as gender, age, and cultural differences), (ii) inclusive digitalisation in the future of democracy, (iii) democratic innovation with built-in transparent mutual feedback mechanisms, and (iv) increasing political trust and satisfaction with democracy to address socio-ecological challenges in a less polarised world. 

Recommendations and guidance on new educational strategies for supporting inclusive participation and engagement will be a cross-cutting theme. The synthesis papers will also include the respective final sets of criteria and indicators developed alongside INCITE-DEMs inter- and transdisciplinary research activities.

Building on the four synthesis papers, this task will develop a set of at least four concrete policy roadmaps, supported by policy briefs, to foster participation, engagement, and democratic innovation in the interest of open and trustful interaction between citizens and policy leaders, with attention also to intermediary actors such as ICT or digital market developers. 

Early versions of the different roadmaps, supported by dynamic visualisations and infographics will be presented in policy dialogue sessions (either online or in-person) in each of the partner countries, to disseminate insights, and, where appropriate, discuss local adaptation and implementation strategies.