People encounter public administration through public services. Every face-to-face and written interaction with a public authority is an opportunity to promote openness, participation and mutual trust.

Democratic values and the principles of public governance are reflected in these interactions with public administration. They therefore help strengthen people’s connection to society, alongside civic education, national dialogues and democratic participation.

Sitra’s Handbook for Democratic Encounters makes democracy visible in public services. It offers perspectives for public administration on strengthening interaction, promoting participation, and developing services together with service users and professionals working directly with clients.

Explore the Handbook for Democratic Encounters

To complement the handbook, a set of discussion and reflection cards has been developed in collaboration with experts from the Deaconess Foundation. The cards bring the handbook’s themes into practice and are designed to support public sector leadership and workplace communities. The discussion topics and questions encourage reflection on participation and trust, either individually or as a group.

Democratic interactions also highlight the importance of open government and people-centred services in renewing public administration. Participation programmes, for example, help put democratic values into practice.

Use the Discussion and Reflection Cards