Assessing the Role of Democratic Innovations in Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT Addressing the climate crisis requires innovative governance mechanisms that integrate citizen participation with environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. While democratic innovations have gained traction in climate governance, their capacity to drive systemic environmental change remains underexplored. This study identifies how they contribute to environmental sustainability by mapping their linkages to specific Sustainable Development Goals. Based on a systematic literature review, the study examines the environmental dimensions of democratic innovations and the policy domains through which they incorporate sustainability goals. Findings reveal that democratic innovations influence public perception and policy, revealing their capacity to reshape governance frameworks and align local priorities with climate policies. However, institutional constraints, fragmented policy uptake, and varying national governance capacities hinder their full potential. Strengthening the political embedding of participatory processes and fostering cross‐sectoral integration is essential to ensure that democratic innovations contribute to long‐term and transformative sustainability transitions.