Sustainability and Politics: Explaining the Emergence of the 2020 Budapest Climate Assembly

Daniel Oross, Eszter Mátyás and Sergiu Gherghina
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Daniel Oross: Eötvös Lorand Research Network, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Eszter Mátyás: Eötvös Lorand Research Network, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Sergiu Gherghina: Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RT, UK

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: The relationship between political participation and the pursuit of sustainability at the local level has been investigated extensively in the literature. In this content, the emergence and extensive use of citizens’ assemblies receive particular attention. Much research focuses on the functioning of these assemblies and potential impact in the community. However, we know very little about why such initiatives occur. This article fills that gap in the literature and aims to explain why a citizens’ assembly on climate change was organized. It focuses on the Citizens’ Assembly in Budapest (Hungary), organized in the fall of 2020 with randomly selected citizens. The findings illustrate that although civil society initiated the deliberative process, the prime mover of the Citizens’ Assembly was political. Local politicians pursued this objective to fulfil their election pledges, ensure ideological consistency and promote sustainability.

Keywords: political participation; citizen engagement; political institutions; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6100-:d:564498

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