# FLOSS as Public Policy Decidims Case Study > [! note]- > The content of this page is generated by audio/video transcription and text transformation from the content and links of this source. Source: [https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim/](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim/) <video src="https://video.fosdem.org/2025/aw1126/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim.av1.webm" controls></video> ## Summary & Highlights: Decidim: A Model for Public Policy through Open Source **Introduction to Decidim** Decidim is an open-source platform for participatory democracy, launched by the Barcelona City Council in 2016. It was designed to coordinate the Municipal Action Plan, allowing citizens to engage in strategic city planning. Over time, the need for an independent governance model became clear, leading to the establishment of the Decidim Association in 2019. **Global Adoption and Governance** Decidim is used by over 450 democratic organizations across 30 countries, including cities like New York and Helsinki, and institutions such as the European Commission. Its governance model involves a community participatory process, ensuring its sustainability and adaptability across different governmental contexts. **Challenges and Future Prospects** Key challenges include securing funding from non-Catalan institutions and managing the association's technical team. The recent collaboration with the Brazilian government marks a significant step toward internationalization and establishing a global governance model. ## Importance for an eco-social transformation Decidim's importance for eco-social transformation lies in its ability to democratize decision-making processes. It empowers citizens and governments to collaborate on sustainable solutions, enhancing transparency and accountability. For eco-social designers, Decidim offers a framework for creating participatory platforms adaptable to various contexts. However, challenges include securing diverse funding sources and maintaining a balance between community and institutional needs. ## Slides: | | | | --- | --- | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_001.jpg\|300]] | The presentation introduces Decidim as a case study of using free and open-source software (FLOSS) as a public policy tool. It highlights the session's focus on government collaboration and its occurrence at the FOSDEM conference on February 2, 2025. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_002.jpg\|300]] | The slide introduces Andrés Pereira de Lucena, a founder and lead developer of Decidim, who has been working with FLOSS since 2011. It includes a link to his GitHub profile. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_003.jpg\|300]] | The slide outlines the key topics of the presentation: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and the challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_004.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_005.jpg\|300]] | The slide repeats the outline of key topics: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_006.jpg\|300]] | Decidim is currently used by over 450 democratic organizations across 30 countries, including 240 cities and government organizations and 180 social organizations. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_007.jpg\|300]] | The slide repeats the outline of key topics: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_008.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_009.jpg\|300]] | The timeline highlights significant milestones for Decidim: its initial release by the Barcelona City Council in 2016, the creation of the Decidim Association in February 2019, and the renewal of the management agreement in May 2023. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_010.jpg\|300]] | The slide discusses Decidim's distributed governance, noting that initial funding came from Barcelona, with additional support from Localret and the Catalan government. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_011.jpg\|300]] | The slide emphasizes Decidim as a pioneering example of public-community management of digital commons, with a focus on sustaining collaborative relationships for long-term project viability. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_012.jpg\|300]] | The slide repeats the outline of key topics: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_013.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_014.jpg\|300]] | The slide details the roadmap process for Decidim, from proposal submission to validation, planning, and implementation, highlighting interinstitutional collaboration. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_015.jpg\|300]] | The slide repeats the outline of key topics: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_016.jpg\|300]] | The slide describes Decidim's framework, highlighting its modular structure, customizable processes, and admin dashboard for configuration and management. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_017.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_018.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_019.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_020.jpg\|300]] | This slide is not explicitly described in the text provided. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_021.jpg\|300]] | The slide repeats the outline of key topics: the definition and usage of Decidim, its governance model, roadmap development, software reuse, and challenges faced. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_022.jpg\|300]] | The slide outlines challenges for Decidim, including securing funding from outside Catalonia, sustaining the technical team, and managing updates for downstream applications. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_023.jpg\|300]] | The slide highlights the Brazilian government's engagement with Decidim as a digital public good, marking a significant step in international collaboration and governance model development. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/FLOSS-as-a-public-policy-The-case-of-Decidim/preview_024.jpg\|300]] | The presentation content is licensed under a Creative Commons By-SA license, allowing free use, modification, and redistribution. Contact information and links to Decidim's website and social media are provided. ## Links [Decidim Presentation Slides](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim/slides/238873/Decidim_2_hpBbrRh.pdf) [Video Recording (WebM)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/aw1126/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim.av1.webm) [Video Recording (MP4)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/aw1126/fosdem-2025-5579-floss-as-a-public-policy-the-case-of-decidim.av1.mp4)