The DEFIDEM project proposes to study the relevance and modalities of increased citizen involvement in the workings of institutions. It also aims to clarify the legal framework necessary for the appropriate development of these modalities.  In this way, the project aims to respond to demands for greater citizen participation that would promote social inclusion and civic involvement, while at the same time providing guarantees concerning the quality of the tools proposed and their proper integration into the institutional landscape of States. Whether it's the proliferation of citizens' conventions presented as a new democratic ideal, the multiplication of deliberative polls and online consultations, the transformation of the individual right to petition into a collective online tool (the e-petition), the development of citizens' primaries or the improvement of referendum mechanisms, all are attempting to meet this demand. This greater involvement of citizens in the workings of institutions can have a number of advantages, including making it easier for them to take ownership of the standards adopted, making it easier for them to take responsibility for the choices made and for compliance with the decisions taken, and fostering social inclusion and the development of a culture of participation.

The aim of all these forms of participation is to involve citizens more closely in the workings of institutions and in the political choices they make. This involvement is particularly important to sustain the very idea of democracy.