Representative democracy and its institutions are facing a growing loss of trust. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for greater citizen participation. The authors of this book analyze the potentials and limitations of this phenomenon in Germany. They explore the question of whether and to what extent citizen participation can contribute to greater transparency and legitimacy in politics. The study examines participation processes in large infrastructure projects, cooperative democracy initiatives, and forms of direct democratic involvement. The focus is particularly on the practice of citizen participation in Rhineland-Palatinate. In this context, an insight is also provided into the current debate that is taking place following the Enquete Commission "Active Citizen Participation for a Strong Democracy" of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament.