Strengthening Participatory Governance Through Resilience and Tech-Enabled Democratic Innovations

This study examines the experiences of participatory innovation in Latin American countries during the first year of the pandemic, identifying key participatory innovation trends with a focus on the ways democratic innovations can enhance the resilience and innovation of governance systems in times of crisis in the region. To this end, the study analyses democratic innovation platforms and initiatives adopted across the Latin American region, centring on the design, means of participation, inclusion and democratic innovation sustainability. Findings indicate a significant focus on e-participation initiatives, despite challenges like the digital divide, rapid unplanned deployment and that democratic innovations implemented during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated limited sustainability, with many failing to maintain their momentum or institutionalisation beyond their first year of existence. The study underscores the pivotal role of digital democratic innovations in supporting democratic resilience, suggesting that these tools have substantially contributed to sustaining democratic processes and enhancing civic engagement during the high of the health crisis, even if only a few innovations passed the time test.