Upon learning of the death of Stefano Sotgiu, who for many years had been engaged with EUMANS in promoting instruments of democratic participation at the Italian and European levels, Marco Cappato, President of the Movement, and Lorenzo Mineo, Treasurer of the Movement, declare: “With the death of Stefano Sotgiu, we lose first and foremost a friend—always attentive and generous with his time—and also one of Italy’s leading authorities on participatory democracy. His academic work and activism were passionately devoted to integrating representative democracy with new forms of deliberative democracy, starting with citizens’ assemblies selected by sortition, on which he was a pioneer in the Italian context. We commit ourselves to carrying forward Stefano’s work, drawing also on the experience he shared not only with us, but with everyone”.
The life and work of Stefano Sotgiu
Stefano Sotgiu was a public economist, an expert in participatory processes and public administration, a facilitator of deliberative democracy, and an active figure in local politics and civic engagement processes. He was president of the social promotion association Prossima Democrazia, a political consultant, and an expert in participatory practices at both local, national and European level. He was also involved in the electoral campaign that led to the election of the Mayor of Sassari and continued his civic activity until his death in December 2025.
His latest book is entitled:
“Reinventare la democrazia. Partecipazione deliberativa e approccio sistemico”
It was published in 2025 by Carocci.