What are Democs?

Democs, an acronym standing for a Deliberative Meetings of Citizens' is a game that was developed by the New Economics Foundation, London with the aim of making it easier for people to work out, share and express their views on public policy issues. The game comes in kit form and allows a group of around six people to find out about an issue, for example human genetics, discuss it, seek common ground, and give their views. The paper outlines the development of the game and gives detailed instructions on how it is played. It discusses some of the benefits of taking part and the situations in which the game is useful. It concludes with further improvements that are needed.