by Daniel VAN LERBERGHE

1
Are We Moving Toward A More Participatory
Democracy?
POLITECH INSTITUTE European Center of Political
Technologies

• byDaniel VAN LERBERGHE
• President Executive Director
• POLITECH INSTITUTE

2
OVERVIEW

• Are We Moving Toward A More Participatory
  Democracy?
• Modern Politics Changes Transformations
• From eVoting to eParticipation
• e-Participation A Bottom Up Revolution
• Measuring eDemocracy Practical Concepts
• The Annual European eDemocracy Award and Report
• eParticipation Success Stories from Europe

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy? Modern Politics Changes
Transformations

• The Growing Gap btw Political Actors Citizens
  (One-Level Governance Multi-level Governance)
• The relationship constant dialogue btw
  political actors citizens
• The participation of the citizens to the
  democratic process
• From GLOBAL to GLOCAL The GLOBAL role of
  Communities
• Democratic Challenge of Multi-level Governance
  - EU
• Leadership Challenge
• Pressure groups Lobby, Altermondialism,
  NGOs, Communities
• The left behind ? The Silent Majority.

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy? Modern Politics Changes
Transformations

• The knowledge-based Economy ? The New
  knowledge-based Democratic society ? The Birth of
  New Actors
• The Political Entrepreneur
• More efficient competitive, mobilize its
  stakeholders and resources to achieve public
  affairs objectives
• Create a sustainable relationship with the
  citizens
• Accountable respond to the demands of its
  constituencies
• Increase public support for its actions
  (National International)
• Constant Campaign
• eChampion.

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy? Modern Politics Changes
Transformations

• The Active Citizen
• Knowledge and service hungry citizens
• Like Politics, Dislike Politicians
• Wants more for his/her buck Transparency,
  Accountability, Democracy
• Transformed by the power of the Internet into
  opinion makers (e.g. citizen journalism) 50,000
  posts per hour (Technocrati index 2006)
• Tangible Results
• The Active Citizen ? The Active Civil
  Society.
• The Knowledge Civil Servant
• Transformation and modernization of the modern
  state
• Training eChampions

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation

• eVoting (Estonia general elections (2005), EU
  eVote project France (2005), GE Switzerland
  (2004), Sheffield and Liverpool (2002))
• ? eCampaigns (UK elections, EU Referendum, French
  Presidential Elections 2007, US Presidential
  Elections 2008)
• ? eParticipation (UK Local eDem National Project,
  Issy, Flanders Region)
• eVoting and Internet Voting
• The technological dimension do better and faster
  through ICT tools
• Conclusive Experiences (high voter turnout!)
• Take-up, legal problems and citizens trust
• eVoting is the visible emerging piece of the
  eDemocracy iceberg (Régis Jamin Europe
  2020.org).

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation

• eCampaigns / e-Politics
• The political dimension bring the political
  leaders closer to their constituents by better
  diffusion of their programmes, building political
  leaders images amongst their constituents,
  citizen assessment of politicians' decisions and
  actions
• Political Communication ? eStrategy ? Global
  Strategy
• Enhance active citizen participation in the
  political process and to re-bond citizens with
  their representatives
• Short Term Vs Long Term.

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation

• eParticipation
• The democratic dimension Citizen participation
  in the decision-making processes on and off line
  through forums, polls, propositions of laws and
  lobbying
• The real challenge for eDemocracys future ? The
  Heart of Democracy
• Enhance active citizen participation in the
  political process and re-bond citizens with their
  representatives ? Long Term
• The Fear
• Direct Democracy Vs Participatory
  Representative Democracy
• The natural development of e-Government to
  e-Democracy

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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation
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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation
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Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory
Democracy?From e-Voting to e-Participation
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e-Participation A Bottom Up Revolution!

• The Blogosphere
• 1 Blog per second 60X more than 3 years ago
  (source Technocrati index 2006)
• Social Networking and Media Convergence (Radio,
  Vlog, Podcasting)
• Bloggers communities - MySpace, DigitalMotion,
  YouTube.
• Citizen Journalism
• Bloggers as Journalists
• OhMyNews.com.
• Second Life (secondlife.com) to Mediascape
• Avatars - 5 Million
• Secure Client - One Stop Experience.

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Measuring eDemocracy Practical Concepts

• The eDemocracy Value
• A magnifying glass to analyze the evolution of
  eDemocracy in Europe
• A practical concept (T.E. Cook index Public
  Value Management (PVM))
• Confronts a given feature/service disclosed by a
  website/initiative, providing an added-value to
  the democratic process of a given community
• The POLITECH INDEX (PD DD CD TD)
• The IP-LABEL INDEX

European e-Democracy index Politech index
ip-label index 100 60
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The European eDemocracy Award www.politech-insti
tute.org/edem_award.asp

• An Annual Trophy ? European eDemocracy
  website/online eDemocracy initiative
• 50 selected websites/initiatives in the 25 EU
  Member States
• 9 categories European Cities, European Local
  eDemocracy Projects, European Policy-makers
  Elected Representatives, European Civil Society,
  European Citizen Journalism Specialized Press,
  European Parliaments, European Political Parties
  Movements, European Commission and EU Member
  States
• An Annual Report (2005, 2006).

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The European eDemocracy Awardwww.politech-institu
te.org/edem_award.asp

• The UK Local eDemocracy National Project (22
  projects, 80 tools, multi-channel) Winner 2005
• A unique approach to local democracy, involving
  all stakeholders in developing policy and holding
  decision makers to account.
• The European Commission Debate Europe Portal
  Winner 2006
• ?The portal was launched in 21 languages in March
  2006 by the EC as part of Plan D for Democracy,
  Dialogue and Debate to facilitate debate at the
  European level. Besides taking part in debates,
  visitors can also read contributions and podcasts
  by Members of the EC and the President of the
  Economic and Social Committee.

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eParticipation Success Stories from Europe

• 2003 Greece Presidency and EU eVote vote for
  the EU you want!
• 2 ways citizen participation eVote (e.g.
  questionnaires raising key issues), eVoices
  (e.g. open spaces to ask questions)
• No follow up, EuropeDirect, Your Voice in Europe,
  Vice-President Wallstroms Blog.
• 2005 Germany Berlin City eParticipation
  initiative Productive (Discussion Forum, WIKI),
  Inclusive (multi-channel), Transparent (budget)
  and Responsive (multi-channel)
• From 2002 Finland eParticipation in Hämeenlinna
  City ? youth, civic education and citizen
  participation (Web Council), Leadership
  commitment
• 2004-2005 Denmark S-Dialog - Digital
  communication administration platform for a
  political party
• 2005 French EU Constitution Referendum Etienne
  Chouard The "Don Quichotte du non
• 2006 EU DEMONET IST Project - promote develop
  technological socio-technical excellence in the
  emerging field of e-Participation

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Thank You!

• Daniel van Lerberghe
• email danielvl_at_politech-institute.org
• POLITECH INSTITUTE
• European Center of Political Technologies
• Address Saint Bernard, 67 Brussels B-1060
  Belgium
• email info_at_politech-institute.org website
  www.politech-institute.org