The role of the citizen is fundamental for the continual improvement of the performance of democratic institutions, and, not least, for the very survival of democracy. In recent years, we have seen numerous examples
of people-led movements across all continents. In the vast majority of cases, citizens are not protesting against democracy, but rather they are demanding more democracy and higher quality democracy.
The litany of demands varies between countries, but generally centres on the lack of responsiveness and accountability of representative political institutions. Frequently, citizens lament that their elected representatives only appear when they are campaigning for votes. Similarly, serious questions are often raised regarding the integrity of the electoral process and practices which erode the quality of elections, such as incumbent abuse of state resources, rampant increase in campaign spending, and domination by elites. This is exacerbated by declining levels of membership in political parties and the weak role of political parties in advocating alternative social
platforms. The lack of equal representation of women and men in democratic institutions and processes also continues to present a challenge to democratic development. Consequently, now, more than ever, sustainable democracy depends on paying attention and responding to the voice of the citizen. Efforts at building democracy and genuine social transformation require institutionalized mechanisms for capturing and structuring citizens’
perspectives, aspirations and visions of their democracies. Citizen-led assessments make this possible.

International IDEA has been supporting citizen-led and -owned quality of democracy assessments in different parts of the world since 2000. This has yielded a body of work that includes: State of Democracy assessments in 23 countries; State of Local Democracy  assessments in 60 municipalities; and a new assessment framework
focused specifically on Democratic Accountability in Service Delivery, which has been piloted in four countries.
The State of Local Democracy assessment framework, in particular, enables citizens to periodically monitor the health of their local democracy with a view to celebrating successes, while at the same
time contributing to reform of identified democratic deficits. These assessments capture the voice of the citizen and can contribute immensely to strengthening local and national governments’
responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of citizens.

The local level is often the entry point for people’s political participation and representation. It is at this level where democratic culture is often formed in the mind of the citizen, and where citizens experience on a daily basis the practical outcomes of political choices and the impact of decision-making on their lives. It is important to recognize that the quality of democracy within one country may differ from one subnational level to another, and from one municipality to another, and to appreciate a country’s diversity in terms of democratic practices
and experiences.

The ability of assessments to expose the particularities of democracy at the local level is important, not only for deepening democracy at the local level, but also for informing strategies for broadening and deepening democracy at the national level. In many contexts, there are significant gaps between the aspirations of the citizens at the
normative level and the reality on the ground. Citizen assessments of local democracy can be essential in bridging that gap