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| Make.org | |
|---|---|
| Name | Make.org |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Benoît Matrogne |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Area served | Europe, Global |
Make.org
Make.org is a civic participatory platform founded in 2014 that facilitates public deliberation, collective proposals, and participatory policy prioritization across Europe. The initiative interacts with institutions such as the European Union, national parliaments like the Assemblée nationale (France), municipal councils including the City of Paris, and supranational bodies such as the United Nations to channel citizen proposals into decision-making processes. It operates at the intersection of digital democracy experiments seen in projects like Participedia, We the People (White House petition platform), and deliberative assemblies exemplified by the Citizens' Assembly (Ireland).
Make.org was established in 2014 amid broader debates following events like the 2011 Arab Spring, the 2014 European Parliament election, and reforms inspired by initiatives such as the French Constitutional Council consultations. Early activities referenced participatory precedents including the Icelandic constitutional reform and the Montreal Citizens' Assemblies, while engaging stakeholders framed by institutions like the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Over subsequent years the organization expanded engagement models similar to Deliberative Polling and techniques used by the Lab for Social Innovation and the Bureau of European Policy Advisers.
Make.org states objectives resonant with movements like Open Government Partnership, Transparency International, and Amnesty International: to increase citizen input into policy, accelerate civil society participation akin to Médecins Sans Frontières advocacy, and foster deliberation reminiscent of Habermas-influenced public spheres. Its mission aligns with goals pursued by European Citizens' Initiatives and consultative mechanisms such as the OECD Better Life Index experiments, aiming to translate grassroots proposals into legislative or administrative action similar to outcomes from the Deliberative Democracy Lab and Stanford Internet Observatory studies.
The governance model integrates leadership and advisory components comparable to boards found in Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation structures, incorporating partnerships with academic actors like Sciences Po, École Polytechnique, and research centers akin to CNRS laboratories. Operational staff collaborate with civic networks including Citizens Foundation (Iceland), advocacy NGOs like Greenpeace, and municipal partners such as the Mairie de Paris. Strategic oversight draws on governance frameworks discussed by entities like the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Court of Auditors.
Make.org operates an online platform that combines features from social platforms like Change.org, petition mechanisms exemplified by MoveOn, and participatory budgeting tools used by the City of Porto Alegre. Its initiatives echo methodologies from Deliberative Polling projects, digital deliberation trials by Istanbul Policy Center, and civic tech toolkits developed at Code for America and MySociety. The platform has run campaigns modeled on citizen proposals similar to the Irish Citizens' Assembly recommendations and collaborative drafting approaches used by Wikipedia in open authorship.
Funding sources include philanthropic grants resembling support from foundations like the European Cultural Foundation, corporate partnerships similar to arrangements seen with Google.org and collaborative research funding from agencies such as the European Research Council. Institutional partners include municipal authorities, national ministries comparable to the Ministry of Culture (France), and academic collaborators like Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Strategic alliances mirror coalitions formed by Open Society Foundations, Erasmus+ consortia, and networks like the European Civic Forum.
Proponents cite impacts similar to policy inputs from Citizens' Initiative (European Union) successes, with proposals channelled to bodies akin to the French Senate and local administrations like the Métropole du Grand Paris. Critics raise concerns paralleling debates around Facebook-era civic platforms, referencing issues studied by the Oxford Internet Institute and critiques from scholars at Harvard Kennedy School about representativeness, digital divides noted by UNESCO, and algorithmic mediation examined by the Algorithmic Justice League. Evaluations compare outcomes to those reported by Participatory Budgeting Project case studies and assessments by the European Court of Human Rights on civic participation.
Notable campaigns have targeted topics similar to debates in the Paris Climate Agreement, legislative reforms seen in France's Loi sur la Transition Energétique, and social initiatives akin to proposals from the Yellow Vests movement. Outcomes invoked engagement with ministries comparable to the Ministry of Solidarity and Health (France), municipal policy changes parallel to reforms in the City of Lyon, and advocacy links to NGOs such as Secours Catholique. Campaigns are often compared with high-profile participatory successes like the Icelandic constitutional reform draft proposals and the Irish referendum processes.
Category:Civic technology Category:Non-profit organizations based in France Category:Participatory democracy