Glossary and abbreviations

Actors	A ‘social actor’ or simple ‘actor’ is a term used to describe a person (or organisation) who plays a role in the process / problem of interest.
Citizen	Emphasises the non-specialist, non-elite nature of the individuals in question. This creates some distinction from the sometimes-overlapping term stakeholder
Citizens’ assembly (CA)	Many versions of citizens’ assemblies exist, but it could generally be described as a body of randomly selected citizens that deliberate, and in some cases vote, on one or several issues that have implications at the citizen level.
Citizen Engagement	Refers to a broad set of activities involving people in public processes related to Mission Ocean & Waters.
Citizen Science	Promotes collaboration between non-professionals and scientists in a two-way process. Citizens can engage from co-design through data collection to result interpretation. Scientists gain capacity; citizens gain knowledge and recognition.
Community	Refers to geographically or socially linked groups of citizens, used in place-based contexts.
Community of Practice (CoP)	A group of people who share a concern or passion about a topic and deepen their knowledge by interacting regularly. Activities include mutual learning, co-creation, and best practice exchange. Less structured than a network and may reflect more diverse perspectives.
Controllable problem	A problem with uncertainty that can be reduced / minimized, and where agreement and consensus on norms and decisions are achievable. Any uncertainty can usually be described through objective and quantifiable measures. Here, normal scientific risk analysis can be sufficient, for example, forecasting for waves and levels of toxins in mussels.
Uncontrollable problem	A problem with uncertainty that cannot be predicted or controlled, there are significant knowledge gaps, and a situation where there is often no consensus and little agreement on norms, standards or the likely decisions that need to be made. Simple probabilistic risk analysis or standard statistical methods are not able to fill all the knowledge gaps. For example, climate change impacts such as sea level rise and associated consequences including coastal erosion.
Deliberative turn	A renewed concern with the authenticity of democracy – the degree to which democratic control is substantive rather than symbolic and engaged by competent citizens.
Ladder of Participation	The principles of participation are typically illustrated as a ladder which describe a spectrum of engagement depths, and their corresponding levels of citizen power related to a decision that needs to be made (Figure 2 Citizen participation spectrum, page 14). In the ladder, increasing levels of engagement means greater citizen power. At the top of the ladder, citizens have the power to define the problem, develop the solution and the process to get there.
Leave No One Behind (LNOB)	A foundational value of the UN SDGs, requiring that discrimination and inequality be addressed. Ensures appropriate opportunities for all to participate.
Mission Ocean & Waters (‘the Mission’)	European Union Commission’s Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030. The Mission aims to, within the target of 2030, protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments.
Network	A named group of entities concerned with a topic. Networks persist over time, even as members change. They connect individuals, institutions, and projects with shared objectives.
Participation	Participation may entail a range of involvement, for example, from differing levels of communication (i.e., receiving information or voicing opinions), to directly impacting how we need to consider the risks involved, both for those participating and for the project’s outcomes a research process unfolds or what the outcomes are. While the avenues for participation vary in function and intensity, it is a widespread agreement that participation should grant a greater degree of power to citizens.
Post-normal science	Applies in situations where facts are uncertain, values are in dispute, stakes are high, and decisions are urgent. Public participation is essential for solving such problems and ensuring processes are credible and legitimate
Stakeholder	Organised interests such as NGOs, businesses, or authorities. Distinct from citizens unless otherwise noted.
Steps of participation	A tool we provide to you to help you to visualise the ‘steps of participation’ and assess when it is most appropriate to inform, consult or empower citizens (see Figure 3).
Wicked problem	Issues that are difficult to solve with scientific evidence or knowledge alone, due to the many interconnected, interdependent social problems that make finding a single solution impossible.