The politics of mini-publics: How organisers justify local climate mini-publics in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Following a wave of climate emergency declarations by UK local governments from 2019, a variety of organisations and authorities commissioned ‘climate mini-publics’ – broadly representative groups of citizens who, after a learning period, engage in inclusive discussion to develop recommendations. But what do the [local] proponents of these initiatives hope to achieve? Moving beyond research focused on internal quality or policy impacts, this paper highlights the ‘backstage’ political dynamics of climate mini-public initiation. Using an original dataset of 61 local climate mini-publics in the UK (2019-2024) and a thematic analysis of documents associated with each initiative, this paper identifies organiser’s justifications of climate mini-publics - (1) to address the urgency challenge of climate change, (2) to experiment with democracy, and (3) to secure public support. These findings highlight the complex political trade-offs that organisers find themselves navigating – between neutrality and partisanship; urgency and incrementalism; and, finally, optimism and realism.