School of Social and Political Science

Background

Short biography

Oliver Escobar is Professor of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at the University of Edinburgh. He works on participatory and deliberative democracy, with a focus on public participation, policy innovation, the commons, political inequalities, and the governance of the future. Oliver combines research and practice to develop social and democratic innovations across various policy and community contexts. He has been Academic Lead on Democratic Innovation at the Edinburgh Futures Institute since 2019, and served as Co-director of CRITIQUE (Centre for Ethics and Critical Thought) between 2021-2023. He co-led the projects European Smart Urban Intermediaries (2017-2020), Distant Voices (2017-2020), and What Works Scotland (2014-2019), and currently co-leads on public engagement at Behavioural Research UK (2023-2028) and on political economy at the EU Horizon project INSPIRE - Intersectional Spaces of Participation (2024-2027). Oliver’s work has been shared in eighty publications and fifty courses for students and practitioners across the public sector and civil society. He authored Public Dialogue and Deliberation: A Communication Perspective for Public Engagement Practitioners (2011). He co-edited (with Prof. Stephen Elstub) the global Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance (2019) as well as the forthcoming edited book Climate Assemblies: New Civic Institutions for a Climate-Changed World. Before academia, Oliver worked in radio, retail, fishing, construction and literature. 

Qualifications

At the University of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain):

• Master's Degree in Political Science and Public Administration (1997-2002)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (2003)
• MPhil in Policy Making (2002-2004)
• Master in Public Management and TQM (2003-2004)

At the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK):

• PhD in Politics (2014), School of Social and Political Science

Current and past work

I have been at the University of Edinburgh since 2010, and I currently hold the Chair of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation in the Politics and International Relations subject area of the School of Social and Political Science.

Between 2015-2019 I worked as Co-Director of What Works Scotland, a programme to connect research, policy and practice,  improve public services and advance policy innovation. I led the WWS workstreams on Governance and Community Engagement. Building on this work, in 2019, I was appointed Academic Lead for Democratic Innovation at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (University of Edinburgh). 

Large research projects:

• UKRI Behavioural Research Hub (2023-2028)
• EU Horizon Democracy - INSPIRE: Intersectional Spaces of Participation: Inclusive, Resilient, Embedded (2024-2027)
• Research programme about the Citizens' Assembly of Scotland (supported by the Edinburgh Futures Institute)
• 13 projects in the What Works Scotland programme (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Scottish Government, 2014-2019)
• Distant Voices: Coming Home (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, 2017-2020)
• Smart Urban Intermediaries: Trans-European Research, Learning and Action (H2020 / JPI ERA-NET Consortium Urban Europe, incl. ESRC, 2017-2020)

Recent advisory roles:

• (2024-2025) Advisory Board, Climate Assembly of Norway
• (2022-2024) Advisory Board, Climate Assembly of Catalonia
• (2022-2023) Stewarding Board, UK Citizens' Economic Council on the Cost of Living Crisis
• (2022) Working Group on Behavioural Interventions and Community Engagement, Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness
• (2022- ogoing) Academic Advisor on Participatory Methods, Social Research at the Scottish Government
• (2021) Editorial Board: Citizen Engagement in Evidence-Informed Policy-Making, World Health Organisation
• (2022 - ongoing) Advisory Board, Deliberativa (Spain)
• (2021-2022) Advisor to the Spanish Climate Citizens’ Assembly
• (2021-2022) Working Group: Institutionalising Participatory and Deliberative Democracy, Scottish Government's Open Government Partnership
• (2021- ongoing) Advisory Board, Democracy Drama
• (2020-2021) Stewarding Board of Scotland's Climate Assembly
• (2020-2022) Digital Ethics Expert Group, Scottish Government  
• (2020- ongoing) National Participatory Budgeting Strategic Group, COSLA and Scottish Government
• (2020-2021) Communities & Volunteering Social Renewal Policy Circle, Scottish Government
• (2020-2021) Covid19 Public Engagement Advisory Group, Scottish Government  
• (2019- 2020) Open Government Partnership - Accountability
• (2019-2020) Scottish Leaders Forum - Climate Change Action Group
• (2014-2020) Democratic Audit UK Board of Trustees
• (2014-2019) Participatory Budgeting Working Group, Scottish Government   

I received a PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh, where I held a Principal’s Career Development Scholarship. My research subject was participatory policymaking, with a focus on the everyday work of public engagement practitioners. My first funded research project (2002-2004, European Social Fund and Galician Government) focussed on public policy to tackle poverty and social exclusion in Galicia (Spain). Over the years I have enjoyed learning as a facilitator and analyst in various policy arenas locally, nationally and internationally. 

Between 2008-2010 I worked at the Dialogue Research Project (Queen Margaret University) helping to set up QMU’s Centre for Dialogue. I am a Public Engagement Fellow of Edinburgh Beltane (UK Beacons for Public Engagement) since 2009, where I am involved in developing  courses, forums and activities in the areas of dialogue and deliberation, public engagement, and policy practice. Between 2010-2013 I was the Project Officer for the Public Policy Network, where I still convene the Citizen Participation Network. I am a trained participation practitioner (International Association for Public Participation).

I was the Project Director for the ‘Citizens' Juries about Onshore Windfarms’  funded by ClimateXChange, and recently facilitated a series of Citizens' Juries on Tackling Health Inequalities and helped to develop other deliberative mini-publics. Since 2014, I have worked on mixed methods research and teaching with Prof. Andrew Thompson using data from a large study of the European Commission. I co-led an international study of 'People who make a difference in neighbourhoods' using Q Methodology with colleagues in England, Netherlands and Denmark, which formed the foundation for the Smart Urban Intermediaries project. 

I contributed to develop So Say Scotland (a hub for participatory politics and democratic innovation), as well as the year-long deliberative process led by the Electoral Reform Society: Democracy Max -An Inquiry into the Future of Scottish Democracy. In collaboration with the Scottish Community Development Centre, we re-launched the National Standards for Community Engagement (2016) to support the implementation of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. I carry out participatory and deliberative projects with a range of public and third sector organisations. For instance, I designed and facilitated participatory forums for the COSLA Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy, and deliberative processes for Voluntary Action Scotland / Third Sector Interfaces, and ClimateXChange.

Besides academia, I worked as seasonal labourer in the construction and fishing industries (1999-2005). I also worked in retail management (2005-2008) and radio broadcasting (2008-2009), with some incursions into amateur photography and short filming. Since 1995, I have published various literary works and 3 poetry books, including the bilingual Galician Rhapsody, Blues Escocés.

Teaching and Training

I have designed undergraduate and postgraduate couses, as well as practitioner training workshops, on dialogue and deliberation, citizen participation, political communication, policy analysis, political theory, qualitative research, science public engagement and facilitation.

Currently I convene and teach:

• Public participation in democracy and governance (Undergraduate course since 2016)
• Public engagement in policymaking and govenance (Postgraduate course since 2012)
• Digital Democratic Innovations (Postgraduate course since 2022)

In 2021 and 2022, we hosted a Summer School on Democratic Innovation. 

From 2012 to 2015 I convened and taught 3 other postgraduate courses:

• 'Science, policy and practice: Brokering knowledge in policy contexts' and 'Dialogue and deliberation in public engagement', MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement, University of Edinburgh.
• 'Engagement for public policy practitioners: Policy work in the age of collaborative governance and participatory democracy', Master of Public Policy, Edinburgh University's Academy of Government.

I have also developed  bespoke training courses for various public, third and community sector organisations.

PhD students

Elisabet Vives, Can technology fix our democracies? Exploring the impact of civic technologies on political inequalities

Ioanna Sakali, Democratic Backsliding and Citizenship Foundations of European Political Systems in the Aftermath of Covid-19

Iñaki Goñi, Dialogues as social technologies: Towards a framework for public dialogue design in science and technology

Anna Kallen Talley, What Does Truth Look Like? Interrogating the Role of Design in Fake News

Aiste Pagineraite, Searching for a Solidarity Enterprise: Investigation of the Scottish Social Enterprise Model

María Fernanda Díaz Vidal, Penal policies in the context of democratic political dialogue in Chile

Nicolas Silva, Participative and collaborative governance for energy transitions in Chile and Peru

Beth Katz, Local opportunity windows in hostile national political environments: Exploring the interplay between national and local immigrant integration politics in the Brexit and Trump eras

Harriet Simms, Devolving Decision-Making by Design: Reimagining Participatory and Collaborative Policy & Governance in Scotland (based at the Glasgow School of Art)

María Rodríguez Alcazar, What citizens do for Regional Organisations. Analysis of citizen participation mechanisms in Regional Organisations (based at Ghent University in Belgium)

Julen Cocho Gonzalo, Collaborative governance: Ideologies and practices of democratic innovation - the case of Etorkizuna Eraikiz (based at the University of the Basque Country) 

Dr Max Rozenburg, Deliberative democracy and the governance of the commons [completed]

Dr Katie Hirono, Health equity, policymaking, community engagement and power [completed]

Dr Giulia Molinengo, Power in collaboration: a process design perspective (IASS Potsdam, Germany) [completed]

Dr Anna Ross, Narratives and participation in drugs policy in Scotland [completed]

Dr Tamara Mulherin, Collaborative work in Health and Social Care Partnerships [completed]

Visiting doctoral students

Dr Sixtine Van Outryve D'Ydewalle, Theory and practice of direct democracy (visiting in 2021-2022) 

Dr Elba Maneiro, Emotions and political behaviour (visiting in 2021)

Dr Meng Yang,  Democratic innovations in China ( visiting 2016-17) [completed]

Dr Taina Meriluoto, Expertise and experience in participatory social policy  (visiting 2017) [completed]

Publications

Asenbaum H., Bussu S., Escobar O., Harris C. (2025) Participatory democracy and participatory research. European Political Science Review. Published online 2025:1-19. doi:10.1017/S1755773925000074 [Open Access]

Henderson, J. and  Escobar, O. (2024) Reviving the commons? A scoping review of urban and digital commoning. Edinburgh: Data Civics Observatory - Edinburgh Futures Institute. [Open Access] 

Zubizarreta, R. and Escobar, O. (2024) Opening the black box: Facilitation in a changing world,  Deliberative Democracy Digest. [Open Access]

Escobar, O. (2024) Imagination in action: Environmental education, civic engagement and democratic innovation, North American Association for Environmental Education and Cornell University. [Open Access]

Escobar, O. and Henderson, J. (2024) Citizen engagement in evidence-informed policy-making: A guide to mini-publics, Geneva: World Health Organization. [Open Access]

Galanos, V. et al. (2024) "We Don't Do Digital, We Dig It All": Experimenting with 'Data Civics' Methods to Support Urban Development in Granton, Edinburgh. In Garcia-Hernandez, M. and Gravari-Barbas, M. (Eds.) Cultural Heritage on the Urban Peripheries: Towards New Research Paradigms, Routledge.

Escobar, O. (2023) In/visibility, public-making and the politics of becoming, Democratic Theory, 10(2), 99-103. Two versions: short version (journal); long version (UoE repository). [Open Access]

Henderson, J., Galanos, V., Escobar, O., Mcfall, L., McGowan, A., Basset, K., Earl, S. (2023) Community Leadership in North Edinburgh: Report from the Knowledge Exchange Labs 2022, Edinburgh: Edinburgh Futures Institute. [Open Access]

Bynner, C., Escobar, O. & Weakley, S. (2023) Facilitators as culture change workers: advancing public participation and deliberation in local governance, Local Government Studies, 1-21.

Escobar, O. (2022) 'Mixed methods'. In: Ercan, S. A., Asenbaum, H., Curato, N. & Mendonça, R.F. (Eds), Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy, Oxford University Press [Open Access].

McNeill, F., Thomas, P.C., Frödén, L.C., Scott, J.C., Escobar, O., Urie, A. (2022). 'Time After Time: Imprisonment, Re-entry and Enduring Temporariness'. In: Carr, N., Robinson, G. (eds) Time and Punishment. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology, Palgrave Macmillan [Open Access].

National Expert Group on Digital Ethics (2022) Building Trust in the Digital Era: Achieving Scotland’s Aspirations as an Ethical Digital Nation, Edinburgh Innovations, University of Edinburgh and Scottish Government.

Elstub, S., Escobar, O., Henderson, A., Thorne, T., Bland, N. & Bowes, E. (2022) Research Report on the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland, Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research. [Open Access]

Escobar, O. (2022) Between radical aspirations and pragmatic challenges: Institutionalising participatory governance in Scotland, Critical Policy Studies, 16(2), 146-161 [Open Access].

Bennett, H., Escobar, O., Hill O’Connor, C., Plotnikova, E., Steiner, A. (2022) Participation Requests: A Democratic Innovation to Unlock the Door of Public Services?, Administration & Society, 54(4), pp. 605-628. [Open Access]

Durose, C., van Ostaijen, M., van Hulst, M., Escobar, O., Agger, A. (2022) Working the urban assemblage: A transnational study of transforming practices, Urban Studies, 59(10), pp. 2129-2146. [Open Access]

Drury, S. A. M., Elstub, S., Escobar, O., & Roberts, J. J. (2021). Deliberative Quality and Expertise: Uses of Evidence in Citizens’ Juries on Wind Farms, Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 7(2), pp. 31–44. [Open Access]

Thompson, R., McKeon, A., Elstub, S., Escobar, O. (2021) Deliberating online in a crisis: yes we can (and why we should), The Loop (ECPR's Political Science Blog). 

McColl, P., Escobar, O. and Webb, J. (2021) Participatory politics and the climate emergency, The Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Open Access]

Smith, K. E., Macintyre, A., Weakley, S., Hill, S. E., Escobar, O. & Fergie, G. (2021) Public understandings of potential policy responses to health inequalities: Evidence from a UK national survey and citizens’ juries in three UK cities, Social Science & Medicine, 114458. [Open Access] 

Elstub, S., Thompson, R., Escobar, O., Hollinghurst, J., Grimes, D., Aitken, M., Mckeon, A., Jones, K. H., Waud, A. & Sethi, N. (2021) The Resilience of Pandemic Digital Deliberation: An Analysis of Online Synchronous Forums, Javnost - The Public - Journal of the European Institute for Communication and Culture, 28(3), pp. 237-255. [Open Access]

Durose, C., Richardson, L., Rozenburg, M., Ryan, M. & Escobar, O. (2021) Community Control in the Housing Commons: A Conceptual Typology,  International Journal of the Commons, 15, 291-304. [Open Access]

Bua, A. & Escobar, O. (2021) El sistema político del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte. In: Sánchez Medero, G. & Sánchez Medero, R. (eds.) Sistemas Políticos en Europa. 3rd ed. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch.

Thompson, A. G. H., Escobar, O., Roberts, J. J., Elstub, S. & Pamphilis, N. M. (2021) The Importance of Context and the Effect of Information and Deliberation on Opinion Change Regarding Environmental Issues in Citizens’ Juries, Sustainability, 13, 9852. [Open Access]

Lightbody, R. & Escobar, O. (2021) Equality in community engagement: A scoping review of evidence from research and practice in Scotland. Scottish Affairs, 30, 355-380.

Mccartney, G., Dickie, E., Escobar, O. & Collins, C. (2021) Health inequalities, fundamental causes and power: Towards the practice of good theory, Sociology of Health & Illness, 43(1), pp. 20-39. [Open Access]

Escobar, O. (2021) Democracia participativa: La experiencia de Escocia. In: Ramirez-Alujas, A. & Nicando, C. (eds.) Gobernando el futuro. Debates actuales sobre Gobierno, Administración y Políticas Públicas. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales.

Escobar, O. (2021) Gobernanza colaborativa, participativa y deliberativa: Avanzando en la innovación democrática para la acción pública. Chapter 3 in: Romero Tarin, A. & Alejo, A. (eds.) Panorama de la Gobernanza: Perspectivas y Retos para su Estudio en Iberoamerica, Valencia: Tirant Lo Blanch. 

Escobar, O. (2021) Voice of the people: Public participation and independence. Chapter 2 in: Hepburn, E., Keating, M. & Mcewen, N. (eds.) Scotland’s new choice: Independence after Brexit, Edinburgh: Centre on Constitutional Change. [Open Access]

Crockett Thomas, P., Collinson Scott, J., Mcneill, F., Escobar, O., Cathcart FrödéN, L. & Urie, A. (2021) Mediating Punishment? Prisoners’ Songs as Relational ‘Problem-Solving’ Devices, Law Text Culture, 24. [Open Access]

Escobar, O. (2020) Futures in common: Democratic life beyond the crisis. In: Hassan, G. & Barrow, S. (eds.) Scotland after the virus, pp. 119-126, Edinburgh: Luath Press.

Escobar, O. (2020) Transforming lives, communities and systems? Co-production through participatory budgeting. In: Loeffler, E. & Bovaird, T. (eds.) Handbook of Co-Production of Public Services and Outcomes. Palgrave Macmillan.

Aitken, M., Cunningham-Burley, S., Darlington, A., Elstub, S., Escobar, O., Jones, K., Sethi, N. & Thompson, R. (2020) Why the public need a say in how patient data are Used for Covid-19 Responses, International Journal of Population Data Science, 5(2). [Open Access]

Escobar, O., Garven, F., Harkins, C., Glazik, K., Cameron, S., Stoddart, A. & O’hagan, A. (2020) El presupuesto participativo en Escocia: la interacción de la reforma del servicio público, el empoderamiento de la comunidad y la justicia social. In: Molina, J. & Mayor, J. M. (eds.) Los Presupuestos Participativos: Aportes y limites para radicalizar la democracia, Valencia: Tirant Lo Blanch. [Open Access]

Bowes, E.,  Bland, N., Escobar, O., King, B., Elstub, S., Rozenburg, M., Henderson, A.  (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 8. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Henderson, J., Revell, P. & Escobar, O (2020) Building the community economy in Scotland, Glasgow: What Works Scotland and Policy Scotland.

Henderson, J., Revell, P. & Escobar, O. (2020) Summary: Building the community economy in Scotland, Glasgow: What Works Scotland and Policy Scotland.

Bowes, E.,  Bland, N., Escobar, O., King, B., Elstub, S., Rozenburg, M., Henderson, A.  (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 7. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Bowes, E., Escobar, O.,Rozenburg, M., King, B., Elstub, S., Bland, N., Henderson, A.,  (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 6. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Henderson, J., Escobar, O. & Revell, P. (2020) 'Public value governance meets social commons: community anchor organisations as catalysts for public service reform and social change?', Local Government Studies, advanced online publication.

Bowes, E.,  Bland, N., Elstub, S., Escobar, O., Henderson, A., King, B., Rozenburg, M. (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 5. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Bowes, E., Escobar, O., Elstub, S., Bland, N. & Henderson, A. (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 4. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Bowes, E., Escobar, O., Elstub, S., Bland, N. & Henderson, A. (2020) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 3. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research.

Escobar, O. (2019) 'Facilitators: The micropolitics of public participation and deliberation'. In: Elstub, S. & Escobar, O. (eds.) The Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance, pp. 178-195. Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar.

Escobar, O. & Thompson, A. (2019) 'Mixed methods research in democratic innovation'. In: Elstub, S. & Escobar, O. (eds.) The Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance, pp. 501-514. Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar.

Elstub, S. & Escobar, O. (2019) 'Defining and typologising democratic innovations' [OPEN ACCESS]. In: Elstub, S. & Escobar, O. (eds.) The Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance, pp. 11-31. Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar.

Escobar, O. & Elstub, S. (2019) 'Introduction to the Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance: The field of democratic innovation' [OPEN ACCESS]. In: Elstub, S. & Escobar, O. (eds.) The Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance, pp. 1-9 Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar.

Elstub, S. and Escobar, O. (Eds.) (2019) The Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance. Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar.

Bowes, E., Escobar, O., Elstub, S., Bland, N. & Henderson, A. (2019) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 1. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research. 

Bowes, E., Escobar, O., Elstub, S., Bland, N. & Henderson, A. (2019) Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: Data Briefing - Weekend 2. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research. 

Durose, C., Escobar, O., Gilchrist, A., Agger, A., Henderson, J., van Hulst, M. & van Ostaijen, M. (2019) Socially smart cities - Making a difference in urban neighbourhoods - Final project report. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.

Gilchrist, A., Escobar, O., Durose, C.,Agger, A., Henderson, J., van Hulst, M. & van Ostaijen, M. (2019) Social transformation in urban neighbourhoods: Supporting smart urban intermediation - Policy & Practice Briefing. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.

Henderson, J. & Escobar, O. (2019) Supporting Smart Urban Intermediation - Scottish Policy Brief Supplement. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.

Urie, A. et al. (2019) Reintegration, hospitality and hostility: Song-writing and song-sharing in criminal justice, Journal of Extreme Anthropology (online first).

Watson, N. and O. Escobar, on behalf of WWS (2019) Key messages about public service reform in Scotland, Final Report, Edinburgh and Glasgow: What Works Scotland. 

Paterson, A., Nelis, P. and O. Escobar (2019) Strengthening Community Councils: Exploring how they can contribute to democratic renewal in Scotland, Glasgow: Scottish Community Development Centre and What Works Scotland. 

Cullingworth, J. and O. Escobar. (2019) Participation and representation: Strengthening the third sector voice in local governance. Glasgow: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O. and Katz, B. (2018) Mainstreaming participatory budgeting: What works in building foundations for a more participatory democracy? Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O. (2018) Participar, para qué?, en Participación social en un mundo en cambio, Nueva Revista de Política, Cultura y Arte, Serie Estudios núm 2, páginas 35-42, Madrid: UNIR. 

Weakley, S. and Escobar, O. (2018) Community Planning after the Community Empowerment Act: The Second Survey of Community Planning Officials in Scotland, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.

Campbell, M., O. Escobar, C. Fenton, & P. Craig (2018) 'The impact of participatory budgeting on health and wellbeing: A scoping review of evaluations', BMC Public Health, 18, 822.

Escobar, O., F. Garven, C. Harkins, K. Glazik, S. Cameron, & A. Stoddart (2018) 'Participatory budgeting in Scotland: The interplay of public service reform, community empowerment and social justice', in N. Dias (Ed.), Hope for democracy: 30 years of participatory budgeting worldwide, Faro, Portugal: Oficina, pp. 311-336.

Bua, A. and Escobar, O. (2018) Participatory-Deliberative Processes and Public Policy Agendas: Lessons for Policy and Practice, Policy Design and Practice, first published online (Open Access).

Henderson, J., Revell, P. and Escobar, O. (2018) Transforming communities? Exploring the roles of community anchor organisations in public service reform, local democracy, community resilience and social change, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O., Gibb, K., Kandlik Eltanani, M. and Weakley, S. (2018) Community Planning Officials Survey: Understanding the everyday work of local participatory governance in Scotland, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland. 

Escobar, O., Gibb, K., Kandlik Eltanani, M. and Weakley, S. (2018) Brief: Summary - Community Planning Officials Survey, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland. 

Campbell, M., P. Craig, & Escobar, O. (2017) Participatory budgeting and health and wellbeing: A systematic scoping review of evaluations and outcomes, The Lancet, 390(S30). [Published Abstract] 

Escobar, O. (2017) Pluralism and democratic participation: What kind of citizen are citizens invited to be?, Contemporary Pragmatism, 14(4): 416-438. 

Escobar, O. and Elstub (2017) Forms of mini-publics: An introduction to deliberative innovations in democratic practice, Research and Development Notes, newDEMOCRACY.

Escobar, O. (2017) Making it official: Participation professionals and the challenge of institutionalizing deliberative democracy, in Bherer, L., Gauthier , M. & Simard, L. (eds.) The Professionalization of Public Participation, Routledge. 

Escobar, O. (2017) What Works in Participatory Budgeting: Taking stock and thinking ahead, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland. 

Nugent, B. and Escobar, O. (2017) Fun, Food and Folk - The Centrestage approach to dignified food provision, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O. and Elstub, S. (2017) Deliberative innovations: Using ‘mini-publics’ to improve participation and deliberation at the Scottish Parliament, prepared for the Scottish Parliament Commission on Parliamentary Reform.

Harkins, C., Moore, K. and Escobar, O. (2016) Review of 1st Generation Participatory Budgeting in Scotland, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O. (2016) Response: Beyond anti-politics through democratic innovation, Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy, 24(2): 20-24.

Escobar, O. (2016) Strategic Futures: In 2020, the UK will..., Global Brief, Summer Edition.

Durose et al. (2016) Five ways to make a difference: Perceptions of practitioners working in urban neighborhoods, Public Administration Review, 76(4): 576-586.  

Harkins, C. and Escobar, O. (2015) Participatory Budgeting in Scotland: An overview of strategic design choices and principles for effective delivery, Glasgow: Glasgow Centre for Population Health and What Works Scotland.

Roberts, J. and Escobar, O. (2015) Involving communities in deliberation: A study of three citizens’ juries on onshore wind farms in Scotland, Edinburgh: ClimateXChange.

Escobar, O. (2015) Scripting deliberative policy-making: Dramaturgic policy analysis and engagement know-how, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 17(3): 269-285.

Escobar, O. (2015) Reimagining Community Planning in Scotland: A vision from the Third Sector, Glasgow: What Works Scotland.

Escobar, O. (2014) Towards participatory democracy in Scotland, in POST (ed.), Scotland 44: Ideas for a new nation, Edinburgh: POST.

Escobar, O., Faulkner, W. and Rea, H. (2014) Building capacity for dialogue facilitation in public engagement around research, Journal of Dialogue Studies, 2(1), 87-111.

Escobar, O. (2014) Upstream public engagement, downstream policy making? The Brain Imaging Dialogue as a community of inquiry, Science and Public Policy,  41(4): 480-492.

Roberts, J. and Escobar, O. (2014) Citizens' juries on wind farm development in Scotland: Interim report, Edinburgh: ClimateXChange.

Escobar, O. (2014) Strengthening local democracy in Scotland: The community councils perspective, Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy, COSLA.

Escobar, O. (2014) Strengthening local democracy: The Voluntary Action Scotland perspective, Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy, COSLA.

Escobar, O. (2014) Strengthening local democracy in Scotland: The faith perspective, Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy, COSLA.

Elstub, S. and Escobar, O. (2013) Mini-publics in Scotland,  Annex D, Final Report of the Commission on Fair Access to Political Influence, Jimmy Reid Foundation.

Escobar, O. (2013) Commentary: Public engagers and the political craft of participatory policy-making, Public Administration Review 73(1), pp. 36-7.

Pieczka, M. and Escobar, O. (2013) ‘Dialogue and Science: Innovation in policy making and the discourse of public engagement in UK’, Science and Public Policy, 40 (1): 113-126.

Escobar, O. (2012) The politics of dialogue, People & Science, June, p. 12, British Science Association.

Escobar, O. (2011) Public Dialogue and Deliberation. A communication perspective for public engagement practitioners, Edinburgh: Edinburgh Beltane -UK Beacons for Public Engagement. (REPRINTED IN APRIL 2012)

Wardlaw et al. (2011) “Can It read my mind?” – What do the public and experts think of the current (mis)uses of Neuroimaging? Public Library of Science One,6(10): e25829.

Escobar, O. (2011) ‘Suspending disbelief: Obama and the role of emotions in political communication’. In Engelken-Jorge, M.; Ibarra Gell, P.; Moreno del Río, C. (Eds.) Politics and Emotions: The Obama Phenomenon, pp. 109-128, Wiesbaden: VS Verlag.

Escobar, O. (2010) ‘Public engagement in global context. Understanding the UK shift towards dialogue and deliberation’, Centre for Dialogue Working Paper 1, Edinburgh: Queen Margaret University.

Escobar, O. (2010) ‘Dialogue in Scotland? A forum with communication practitioners’, Centre for Dialogue Working Paper 2, Edinburgh: Queen Margaret University.

Pieczka, M. and Escobar, O. (2010) ‘The dialogic turn and management fashions’,Proceedings of the International Communication Association Conference, Singapore.

Escobar, O. (2009) ‘The dialogic turn: dialogue for deliberation’, In-spire Journal of Law, Politics and Societies, 4(2), pp.42-70.

Book reviews

Escobar, O. (2012), Rethinking the Public: Innovations in Research, Theory and Politics – Edited by Nick Mahony, Janet Newman and Clive Barnett. Political Studies Review, 10(2), p. 279.

Escobar, O. (2012), Challenges of Ordinary Democracy: A Case Study in Deliberation and Dissent – By Karen Tracey. Political Studies Review, 10(2), pp. 282–283.

Poetry books (selection)

Escobar, O. (2019) In albis; Celebración do enigma; Venus de terra. En Versos fideis: Antoloxía do XX Certame de Poesía Díaz Jácome, Mondoñedo: Concello de Mondoñedo.

Escobar, O. (2018) Identity / Identidade. Anthology: Onda poética 2018, Santiago de Compostela: Edicións Positivas, pp. 85-99 [bilingual edition: English and Galician].

Escobar, O. (2009) Galician rhapsody, blues escocés, Cangas: University of Stirling and Morgante. [bilingual edition English / Galician]

Escobar, O. (2006) Apostasía , Santiago de Compostela: Edicions Positivas.

Escobar, O. (2004) A última bengala, Ferrol: Colección Esquío.