Description
Book SynopsisExploring academic and policy thinking on e-participation, this book opens up the organizational and institutional 'black box' and provides new insights into how public administrations in 15 European states have facilitated its implementation.
Using multiple case studies, the book offers a systematic analysis of how e-participation initiatives are actually organized and administered within the government, as well as how the political context and collaborative partnerships both within the government and with non-governmental actors affect the adoption and institutionalization of e-participation platforms. Contributors provide new empirical evidence on some of the most pressing questions related to the organization and management of e-participation, aiming to provide better understanding of citizen participation platforms.
Providing comparative knowledge on the institutional, administrative and organizational aspects of e-participation, this book will be an ideal read for public policy researchers and government practitioners interested in innovation and technology in public administration.
Trade Review‘In this book two key societal trends merge, making this book an important and inspiring one. On the one hand we see that since the emergence of the internet, new technological practices have emerged that enable political and public participation. On the other hand we see, all over Europe, that the legitimacy of democracy is under pressure, and that the role of representative politics in society is being questioned. Does the merger of these two trends create innovative e-participatory practices? By gathering and analysing practices of many countries, an interesting outlook is presented of relevant critical factors. This not only helps to fuel the academic debate concerning e-democracy, but also helps to shape the public debate.’ -- – Victor Bekkers, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
‘This impressive collection of 15 European e-participation initiatives spans nations and levels of government, demonstrating how widespread and creative these new forms of participation have become. This volume breaks new ground with insightful analysis on whether or how these innovations matter for genuine participation and empowerment of citizens.’ -- Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, US
‘This timely book draws on cross-national data on e-participation. It addresses the non-technical part and focuses on the supply side and the role of public administration. The book avoids the normative bias and offers coherent case studies of how e-participation initiatives play out in practice on national and local level in 15 European countries. A main finding is that e-participation is affected by organizational design, participatory processes, and management. It is a major accomplishment and a must read for digitalization practitioners, scholars, and students alike.’ -- Per Lægreid, University of Bergen, Norway
Table of ContentsContents: 1 Engaging citizens in policy making: The potential and challenges of e-participation 1 Veiko Lember, Tiina Randma-Liiv and Kadi Maria Vooglaid 2 Framework for analysis of the management and organization of e-participation initiatives 11 Tiina Randma-Liiv, Kadi Maria Vooglaid and Veiko Lember PART I E-PARTICIPATION INITIATIVES ON NATIONAL LEVEL 3 We asked, you said, we did: Assessing the drivers and effectiveness of an e-participation practice in Scotland 26 Benedetta Bellò and James Downe 4 Parlement & Citoyens in France: An e-participation platform connecting legislators and citizens for collaborative policy design 40 Samuel Defacqz and Claire Dupuy 5 (e-)Participation and propaganda: The mix of old and new technology in Hungarian national consultations 56 Sara Svensson, Andras Molnar and Agnes Batory 6 Enhancing law-making efficiency, public value or both: Case study of e-participation platform in Slovakia 71 Matúš Sloboda, Katarina Staroňová and Alexandra Poláková Suchalová 7 Participatory law-making in the digital age: The case of the e-public consultation platform in Croatia 91 Petra Đurman, Anamarija Musa and Ivan Koprić 8 The Estonian Citizens’ Initiative Portal: Drivers and barriers of institutionalized e-participation 104 Kadi Maria Vooglaid and Tiina Randma-Liiv 9 From online participation to policy making: Exploring the success behind Latvian legislative crowdsourcing platform MyVoice 120 Visvaldis Valtenbergs 10 Public online consultation in Lithuania: A political declaration or the real empowerment of citizens? 136 Rasa Bortkevičiūtė and Vitalis Nakrošis PART II E-PARTICIPATION INITIATIVES ON LOCAL LEVEL 11 Decide Madrid: A Spanish best practice on e-participation 152 Vicente Pina, Lourdes Torres, Sonia Royo and Jaime Garcia-Rayado 12 The pursuit of legitimacy as a learning process: A case of local e-participation in Sweden 166 Alina Ostling 13 Citizens’ engagement in policy making: Insights from an e-participation platform in Leuven, Belgium 180 A. Paula Rodriguez Müller 14 The implementation of e-participation platforms in Ireland: The case of OpenConsult 196 Bernadette Connaughton 15 How organizational factors shape e-participation: Lessons from the German one-stop participation portal meinBerlin 209 Andree Pruin 16 e-Participation in Austria: Digital Agenda Vienna 225 Noella Edelmann and Bettina Höchtl 17 Connecting participation and e-participation: The use of ICT in the participatory initiatives of Brno 244 David Špaček 18 Management and organization of e-participation: Synthesis from 15 European initiatives 260 Tiina Randma-Liiv and Veiko Lember Index 280
