Governance Innovations and Experiments

Citizen Conventions and Deliberative Democracy

The 2019-2020 Citizens Convention for Climate represented a major experiment in environmental deliberative democracy. 150 randomly selected citizens developed proposals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 "in a spirit of social justice."

The Convention's 149 proposals covered transportation, housing, consumption, production, and governance. Participants demonstrated that ordinary citizens could grapple with complex environmental trade-offs when given time, information, and deliberative structures. Their proposals often proved more ambitious than government policies.

However, the Convention's aftermath revealed limitations. President Macron's promise to submit proposals "without filter" gave way to selective implementation. Key measures like 110 km/h speed limits were rejected as politically unfeasible. The experience raised questions about integrating citizen deliberation into representative democracy.

Local Experimentation and Innovation

French local authorities increasingly serve as environmental policy laboratories. Cities like Paris and Lyon have implemented ambitious climate plans exceeding national targets. Rural communities experiment with local food systems and renewable energy cooperatives.

Territorial innovation benefits from French traditions of municipal activism and inter-communal cooperation. Local elected officials enjoy legitimacy for environmental experimentation. European and national programs provide funding for innovative projects. Networks facilitate sharing experiences between territories.

Yet local innovation faces structural constraints. National legislation limits local regulatory powers. Financial resources remain concentrated at national level. Technical expertise clusters in major cities. Scaling successful local experiments to national level proves difficult given France's diverse territorial contexts.