Despite being the cradle of democracy, the state of governance in Greece has been rather depressing in recent times, with the new Syreza led government showing little sign of improving matters as the country lurches towards populism.

All is not lost however, for the Platform for Political Innovation has recently been launched in the country with the aim of strengthening both the role and the efficiency of civil society in Greece.

They have identified the incredible need for innovation in policy making if they are to tackle the huge challenges the country faces, and hope that the platform will bring together some great ideas on how to achieve that.

The venture is a joint collaboration between three Greek civil society organizations (Culture Polis; Place Identity and SciFy Technology for Society), and has five main objectives that are broadly themed about encouraging more participation in governance and policy making:

1. Undertake research to uncover new knowledge and democratic experiences that improve social cohesion
2. Build capacity in both communities and individuals for collective change
3. Ensure those groups have the offline and online tools to facilitate participatory governance and citizen engagement
4. Lobby for a new constitution that includes civil society and civic engagement at its core
5. Develop a community of international supporters and build a Global Research and Innovation Center for Democracy and Political Science in Athens.

The initiative is undertaking a range of experimental applications of innovative policy making in Greek cities, all of which are aimed at redesigning the way decisions are made, both locally and nationally.

It will certainly be a project worth keeping an eye on.