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===Assessment===
This case highlights what Joshua Cohen wrote – the lack of concrete and tangible influences can reduce the motivation of the citizens, potentially pushing them back into a state of ‘rational ignorance’. (Another interesting finding by the organizers is a possible refutation of the belief that deliberation causes participants to change their opinions and ‘bridge gaps’; although there definitely was a changing of participants’ opinions, the organizers write that it is “not clear the full extent” of the change, and that it may be more due to “group composition” than the deliberation itself [Inter-group, 2014: 113].)
While the low satisfaction from the lack of formal influence may taint the overall legitimacy of the G1000 project, there are still longer-term positive effects and “indirect” impacts which we can only begin to realize (Moskovic, Caluwaerts & Reuchamps, 2016: 4). First, there was a high level of public awareness of the initiative. The Belgian public was generally supportive of the initiative’s procedure – including those who had not participated directly (This may partially be due to the organization of parallel panels done online to allow further participants to be involved). In addition, the G1000 “sparked” a more general debate about democracy and the role of citizens in politics (Moskovic, Caluwaerts & Reuchamps, 2016: 15). The initiative now acts as a “point of reference” regarding promoting deliberative democracy – one that some Belgian political parties began referring to (Moskovic, Caluwaerts & Reuchamps, 2016: 15).
Thus, we see mixed results from the G1000 initiative. On one hand, the building of the mini-public was quite successful. Also, the organizers managed to create freedom and equality among the participants during the deliberative process. On the other hand, the choice to remain unconnected from formal political institutions may have allowed for easier deliberation, but ultimately prevented practical results and hurt the overall legitimacy of the project. However, the organizers succeeded in general public awareness of and support for the idea of public deliberation and participation – perhaps a ‘baby-step’ in the ‘right direction’. One last important point to note is that – even though there was wide support for the project – most of the Belgian public was still cautious regarding applying the recommendations as law (Moskovic, Caluwaerts & Reuchamps, 2016: 4). This highlights the current skepticism and uncertainty regarding deliberative democratic innovations.
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