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A participatory process is a sequence of participatory activities (e.g. first filling out a survey, then making proposals, discussing them in face-to-face or virtual meetings, and finally prioritizing them) with the aim of defining and making a decision on a specific topic.
Examples of participatory processes are: a process of electing committee members (where candidatures are first presented, then debated and finally a candidacy is chosen), participatory budgets (where proposals are made, valued economically and voted on with the money available), a strategic planning process, the collaborative drafting of a regulation or norm, the design of an urban space or the production of a public policy plan.
[Safe(r) Spaces] Autonomy and Agency
Supporting participant control, consent, and collective power through responsible data practices
About this process
For this condition, we are putting a special focus on data. Data is an expansive term that takes on different meanings across fields and practices. In participatory contexts, equality data can support not only the identification of structural inequalities but also participants’ autonomy and agency within the process.
A safe(r) space enables participants to shape the conditions of their engagement rather than simply enter a pre-defined process. In this sense, data practices are not neutral: they can either reinforce exclusive and extractive dynamics or contribute to forms of participation where people define the rules of the game, influence agendas and co-create methods.
Reference: inspire-PART-2026-05-16