This document discusses e-participation and its role in supporting sustainable decision-making through public participation. It defines key terms like public participation, e-participation, and the IAP2 framework. The IAP2 framework's core values of public participation are described. Public participation is said to assist decision-makers in sustainability by contributing local knowledge, clarifying stakeholder perspectives, and enabling more informed decisions. Benefits of public participation discussed include building understanding, trust, ownership and creative solutions. Examples of e-participation projects in Germany are provided.
2. Tim Bonnemann
• Founder and CEO, Intellitics, Inc. — We help
organizations apply technology to support
participatory processes.
• Digital engagement consulting
• Zilino.com (SaaS solution for hosting deliberative online
forums, currently in closed beta)
• ParticipateDB.com (online catalogue for #edem tools)
• http://intellitics.com/blog/
• @planspark
3. Public Participation1
• The process by which an organization consults with
interested or affected individuals, organizations, and
government entities before making a decision.
• Two-way communication and collaborative problem
solving with the goal of achieving better and more
acceptable decisions.
• Prevents or minimizes disputes by creating a process for
resolving issues before they become polarized.
• Other terms sometimes used are “public involvement,”
“community involvement,” or “stakeholder involvement.”
1James L. Creighton, Creighton & Creighton: http://web.archive.org/web/20080719171012/http://www.creightonandcreighton.com/whatis.html
4. E-Participation1
• The use of ICT2 for enabling and strengthening
citizen participation in democratic decision-making
processes. Depending on the aspect of democracy
being promoted it can employ different techniques
(Trechsel et al, 2002):
• For increasing the transparency of the political process;
• For enhancing the direct involvement on participation of
citizen;
• For improving the quality of opinion formation by
opening new spaces of information and deliberation
1UNDP Europe & CIS: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/uploads/ICTD/e-Participation%20Guide%20-%20blurb.doc
2Information and communications technologies
5. IAP2 Framework
• International Association for Public
Participation (IAP2)
• http://www.iap2.org
• Core assets:
• IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation
• CoreValues for the Practice of Public Participation
• Code of Ethics for Public Participation Practitioners
6. IAP2 CoreValues1
• Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by
a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.
• … includes the promise that the public's contribution will influence the
decision.
• … promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and communicating the
needs and interests of all participants, including decision makers.
• … seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected
by or interested in a decision.
• … seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.
• … provides participants with the information they need to participate in
a meaningful way.
• … communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.
1IAP2: http://www.iap2.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=4
2Information and communications technologies
7. IAP2 CoreValues1
• Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by
a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.
• … includes the promise that the public's contribution will influence the
decision.
• … promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and communicating the
needs and interests of all participants, including decision makers.
• … seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected
by or interested in a decision.
• … seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.
• … provides participants with the information they need to participate in
a meaningful way.
• … communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.
1IAP2: http://www.iap2.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=4
2Information and communications technologies
Without a carefullydesigned process andwithout the rightvalues, technologymeans nothing!
8. Public Participation and
Sustainability
• Three dimensions of sustainability: economic growth,
social equity and ecological integrity
• Trade-offs based on local needs and circumstances
• Public participation assists decision makers
• by contributing essential local knowledge and wisdom to
project planning and design
• by clarifying the degree to which stakeholders are willing to
accept or live with the trade-offs.
• in making informed and integrated decisions about the
sustainability of a proposed policy, program, project or plan.
1IAP2: http://www.iap2.org/associations/4748/files/IAP2_WSSD_submission.pdf
9. Key Benefits of Public
Participation
• Builds public understanding, leading to better and more durable decisions
• Creates trust in decision-makers and their processes, leading to stable
policies and enduring decisions
• Builds public ownership and a stronger stake in initiatives leading to
participants carrying out their responsibilities during implementation
• Creates opportunities for stakeholders to discuss their differences
directly, often leading to creative new solutions
• Enriches decision-making through a diversity of opinion and the local and
traditional knowledge and collective wisdom of a range of stakeholders
• Builds “legitimacy” for decisions that allows them to withstand changes
in government or company policy and leadership.
1IAP2: http://www.iap2.org/associations/4748/files/IAP2_WSSD_submission.pdf
12. A Few Resources
• http://participedia.net
• http://participatedb.com
• http://groups.dowire.org/groups/exchange
• http://ncdd.org/rc/item/tag/online-dd
• http://worldbank.org (lots of ICT case studies,
especially from Global South)
• http://intellitics.com (check our blog roll)
• Follow hashtag #edem on Twitter
