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UK final case studies summary

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Global E-democracy Best Practices - Case Study Summaries

Final Word Version

UK highlights - Directory page


Why Important

The Global E-democracy Best Practice Case Studies, commissioned by the UK Local E-democracy National Project, complement lessons generated by the UK local e-democracy pilots and other UK-based experiences. Most of the global lessons in e-democracy, particularly within government, have remained trapped with practitioners often unaware that their story is a leading example or may prove valuable to others. Those innovating with e-democracy rarely have the opportunity to make their lessons and insights known.

The purpose of the project-oriented case studies and the online feature-related "Briefs" is to help UK Local Authorities, and those interested in local e-democracy generally, access and adapt ideas and strategies from around the world. Our goal is to effectively enhance democracy within government and communities by sharing some of the top new lessons available today. Further, the 15 Briefs(*) linked from http://dowire.org/bp, provide tips and best case examples on such topics as e-mail newsletters, democratized navigation, and mobile democracy. Together these articles provide insights into the reality and possibility of e-democracy.

This article summarizes the case studies which may be accessed in their final form from http://www.e-democracy.gov.uk. They represent a new generation of interesting e-democracy examples - most of which are completely new to the wider e-democracy community. With limited resources, it is essential that any organisation investing in e-democracy do so in the most effective manner possible. While the governance and cultural context varies between countries, "public interest" lessons from governments, NGOs, and citizen initiatives have universal and adaptable value.

Participatory Process

The case studies were developed as part of an open and participatory process. This process was viewed by many as an experiment in the e-democracy itself. Within a few short months, a global call for project submissions and practitioner and expert involvement was answered with the case studies drafted and vetted. Over 60 experts and practitioners from about 20 countries joined the E-democracy Best Practices Leadership Team's online community of practice to help guide the project. At least 30 individuals contributed directly to the 9 final case studies and 15 briefs.

A unique part of the participatory process was the public drafting of the content on a "wiki" or a website that allows anyone to openly and collaboratively edit a page. Using a template provided by UK project leaders, the wiki allowed authors to gain feedback as well as compare their work with other authors in a very short time frame. Lead authors were provided an honorarium for their efforts which helped the project meet our tight time deadlines. In short, without this "the intelligence is in the network" collaborative approach, the value generated would have been significantly less.

Final Case Studies

Along with representatives of the UK Local E-democracy National Project, the preliminary review and final case study selection was the responsibility of Steven Clift, an international e-democracy expert who coordinated this effort.

In addition to direct access to the final case studies from the UK national site, the "wiki" versions remain open to updating and comment on the DoWire.Org web site through at least March 2006. Additional materials, including case studies on digital divide and other topics that ended up outside of our scope, are available on DoWire.Org as well.

Below is a collection of the short summaries on the final case studies. They will help you determine which case studies you wish to review in detail.

The final list of global e-democracy case studies:


Summaries

Beginning in 2003, Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) invited Canadians to provide their views on a range of foreign policy issues through an online discussion group. The target audience was Canadian citizens, consisting of non-governmental organisatons, academics and students. The structured “eDiscussions” encourage Canadians to submit up to 750 word statements on select foreign policy topics. The Canadian International Policy website hosted its first eDiscussion group on "Renewing Multilateral Institutions” on Nov. 3, 2004 which highlighted the use of Netcast interviews with 6 experts on international institutions. Topics included: UN Reform, the IMF, the World Bank, the G8 and the WHO.

The success of the first eDiscussion included 68 people signing up to participate, 20 approved submissions ranging from broad stakeholder participation, 400 people receiving email news alerts on “Policy eDiscussions” and 22,000 visits to the site through the duration of the eDiscussion (up from 10,000 visits during a similar period the month before). A discussion summary circulated within the department to senior policy planners led to a formal department response on the website. Preliminary reaction from policy planners found this a beneficial process providing an outside voice to the issue of multilateral reform. The next Feature Issue on "Security" ran from Jan. 24 to Feb 24, 2005 and "Showcasing Canadian talent and know-how abroad" will be held in April 2005. Website: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/cip-pic/participate/menu-en.asp

Northfield Citizens Online (NCO) formed in 1993 out of a desire by a group of residents to use the Internet to strengthen connections between people in the community. By 1996 they incorporated as a non-profit organisation. In 2003, the group has directed its energy toward providing citizens with community news and comment, encouraging and supporting blogging by citizens and public officials, and organizing discussion forums between officials. Blogs by public officials often present facts to help citizens understand the processes and range of issues involved in local decision-making.

Technologically speaking, this blogging "speaker's corner," is a dynamic collection of headlines which are produced by most blog software platforms. Northfield Citizens Online plans to add more news content to the website and increase the number of citizen and civic leader blogs. If board members succeed in obtaining funding from sponsoring organizations, they plan to establish clear expectations of that relationship, and ensure that community news content remains visually separate from other parts of the site. Website: http://northfield.org

In 1999, residents of Subang Jaya, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia created The Subang Jaya e-Community Portal. This self-funded portal has successfully fostered grassroots democracy, community-building and better local governance. The project arose out of the gulf between the high expectations of new Subang Jaya residents prior to moving to this award-winning ‘model township’ and the daily realities of traffic jams, clogged drains, unsafe playgrounds and frequent burglaries. Local politicians are hearing the message and adapting their communication strategies.

The online forums have become the prime public forums in this suburb of 500,000 residents. This online environment encourages the participation of citizens in decisions that affect local governance and community services. An example of the portal's success in working with local media and influence on local decisions was reflected in an October 2004 discussion on the desire for a police station in the area rather than a food court. The flexible system of user-initiated discussion threads, or topics, allows for a dynamic 'bazaar' of ideas and information on a vast range of local issues. As of 28 January 2005, the portal boasted 4,847 members and its forums had generated 3,055 threads and 32,963 posts in just over five years. Website: http://usj.com.my


In July 2002, The Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York,the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in association with non-profits Web Lab and America Speaks created Listening to the City Online Dialogues with a budget of $60,000. The dialogues focused on two things; plans for redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and the surrounding business district and neighbourhoods of Lower Manhattan plus the creation of a permanent memorial for the victims and heroes of 9/11.

The goal of the online discussions was to compliment the 5000 person-to-person consultation and provide a means for citizens to have their views heard and reflected in the decision-making process.During the two-week discussion, 808 participants working in 26 parallel discussion groups (half facilitated and half unfacilitated), posted more than 10,000 messages and responded to 32 polling questions. Listening to the City had an impact on guidelines for new designs, the invitations to world-class architects to participate in a design competition, and the final design. A final poll found that 84% of the participants said they were satisfied with the dialogue and they indicated the chance to "have their say" and the mix of "people and perspectives" were the top reasons. Website: http://dialogues.listeningtothecity.org


Madrid Participa was an initiative created by the City of Madrid in 2004 with the objective of involving citizens of the central district in evaluating the effectiveness of electronic mechanisms used for public participation. Citizen's were introduced to local decision-making processes and the multi-faceted approach of the Internet, Java mobile phones, SMS messages and on site centres – 21 public access Internet centres deployed throughout the city in January 2004.

Approximately 50% of those surveyed decisively favour the use of electronic systems in any kind of electoral process such as a Citizen Consultation similar to Madrid Participa or binding elections. Only 15% of those surveyed indicated their reluctance to their use in binding elections. Three other e-consultations will take place during 2005 and will gather citizens opinion on key issues affecting three different districts in Madrid. Besides the e-consultations, a remodelled portal Madrid Participa will be launched shortly with new tools for the citizen associations and general participation tools such as online forums. Website:http://www.madridparticipa.es/ (work in progress)

In October of 2001, the county council of Northern Jutland, Denmark initiated a government-hosted website with election and political information and an online discussion forum. Nordpol was part of an overall €700,000 county government information society project. The county government's explicit goal for the project was to enhance the citizens’ interest and knowledge of politics. Special attention was paid to first-time voters based on their traditionally low political participation and the belief that they might be the easiest voters to politically mobilize.

Citizens were able to bring issues such as alcohol treatment, health care and transportation of disabled people to the political agenda. Over 450 postings were made during the month. The number of postings exceeded the county government’s initial expectation and quantitative criterion of success with 200 postings. Data reveals 120 participants posted in the debate including 46 politicians or potential candidates and 74 citizens. Politicians posted 300 entries and citizens posted 150. The main part of the interactions consisted of direct dialogue from citizens to politicians. The process was more similar to a consultation, rather than a broad and general debate. In the subsequent evaluation, both citizens and politicians agreed that the project was a democratic success. Even politicians who were sceptical about the project found the debate useful for themselves as well as for the participants. Additionally, some politicians in older age groups took the opportunity to learn Internet skills. Website: http://www.nordpol.dk


In 2001, the Queensland government created The E-Democracy Unit which is a dedicated unit within the Department of Communities, Queensland, Australia. The role of the unit is to develop new and innovative ways for Queenslanders to effectively engage with the State Government and Parliament through the use of information and communication technologies such as webcasting, online consultation and online polling. Queensland recently updated their innovative E-Democracy Policy Framework which is endorsed at the highest level of state government. The e-democracy policy budget for 2004-05 is $0.79 million (AUD) to continue implementation and evaluation of the Government’s e-democracy agenda.

The Get Involved directory was created to help citizen's find out about and participate in decision-making. Internet broadcasts of Parliament commenced in April 2003, over 5,600 citizen's participated in e-polls with a follow up survey showing 95% of respondents believing the ePetitions service represented an additional opportunity to provide input to government decision-making. Over 1300 citizens subscribe to the "get involved" newsletter and authorities have benefited from tapping into a broader range of ideas from the community. The introduction of additional interactive elements such as online polls and discussion forums are being developed for implementation during 2005. Website: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/community/edemocracy.html


In 2001, the City of Seattle created a "democracy portal" through a multi-stakeholder group called the Seattle Commission on Electronic Communications. Building from 8 years of cable television experience, an expanded Seattle Channel was created based on the Community Groups and Technology Survey Results of March 2001. Currently, 87 percent of Seattle Channel viewers have Internet access, and there is an increasing demand for new technologies, such as video on demand, increased interactivity and web services.

The Seattle Channel enhanced its features to increase public awareness, understanding and participation in government, community and cultural affairs. Newly elected Mayor Greg Nickels sponsored an initial supplemental budget of $200,000 to enhance the TV channel's activities and to build its new website. In 2003, the city government completed construction of a new City Hall, which includes a studio and working space for the Seattle. This integrated multimedia service is for the City of Seattle, its citizens, officials and employees. The Seattle Channel is a unique combination of a 24 hour cable channel and an interactive website. Website: http://www.seattlechannel.org


In February 2003, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a new program to invite discussion on policy issues, opportunities to understand public policy, and to facilitate discussions. Seoul had already operated many online innovations such as Citizen Online Bulletin Board, Submitting Citizens Suggestion online, Citizen Cyber Monitors, and Online Opinion Polls. The new Cyber Policy Forum has a budget of approximately 30,100,000 Won in 2004 (about $30,000 US Dollars).

Since 2003, Seoul 24 Cyber Policy Forums and 29 Youth Cyber Forums were held. Over 2,624 citizens posted their opinions and 142,406 views were recorded in the primary Cyber Policy Forums. A special feature of Seoul’s Cyber Policy Forum allows users to cast votes for good discussions. Citizens can add their votes to certain opinions, then the most popular opinions rise to the top. When comparing each discussion topic, the number of participants posting varied from 40 to 262, depending on the issue. Recorded hits ranged from 2,567 to 20,350. The most popular topic focused on reforming the bus system. Seoul's online forums have the potential to gather diverse opinions from citizens throughout the process of policy-making. New online channels for participation in the early drafting stage of policy-making could be explored. Website: http://forum.seoul.go.kr


Conclusion

These nine case studies represent a timely and unique window into e-democracy ideas and approaches relevant to local e-democracy.

The challenge for UK Local Authorities and citizens alike, is to determine which mix of features, approaches, and priorities fit the available resources. While there is no one right way to implement an e-democracy agenda, there may be ten best paths to choose from and 90 to avoid.

One common thread running through these case studies is the existence of "democratic intent." The leaders in these efforts make it clear that technology is tool in a larger process. For local e-democracy to succeed beyond rare experiments, political and management support combined with citizen interest and awareness must come together with true democratic spirit and intent.


(*)

Briefs

While large scale e-democracy projects can take months or more to establish, action can be taken to quickly install online features that connect citizens and their governments. The topics below cover features that are demonstrating democratic results in many countries at all levels of government today.

These mini-case studies may be accessed from UK Local E-democracy National Project website. Versions you can update or edit are also on the DoWire wiki at http://DoWire.Org/bp .

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