1. e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution
POLITECH INSTITUTE
European Center of Political Technologies
e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution
by Daniel VAN LERBERGHE
President & Executive Director
POLITECH INSTITUTE
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

2. OVERVIEW Are We Moving Toward A More Participatory Democracy?
e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution
Measuring eDemocracy: Practical Concepts
The Annual European eDemocracy Award and Report
eParticipation Success Stories from Europe
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

3. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
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.
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

4. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
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
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

5. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
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 eDemocracy’s 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
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

6. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
THE FEAR
Representative
Democracy
Participatory
Direct
Figure 1 – Clr. Mary Reid, “Who needs elected representative?” (2005)
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

7. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
Participatory representative democracy
Traditional representative democracy
Elected representatives
Strong
Weak
Citizen participation
Direct democracy
Dominance by the loudest
Figure 2 – Clr. Mary Reid, “Who needs elected representative?” (2005)
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

8. Are We Moving Toward a More Participatory Democracy?
Figure 3 – The natural development of e-Government to e-Democracy
POLITICAL ENTREPRENEUR
DECISION-MAKING
PROCESS
ACTIVE CITIZEN
KNOWLEDGE CIVIL SERVANT
ENHANCING REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

9. e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution!
The Blogosphere
From GLOBAL to GLOCAL – The GLOBAL role of Communities;
1 Blog per second – 60X more than 3 years ago (source: Technocrati index 2006);
Bloggers as opinion makers - e.g. Etienne Chouard, Loic Lemeur
Leadership Blogging - e.g. Margaret Wallstrom, ReadMyDay.gov.uk
Social Networking and Media Convergence (Radio, Vlog, Podcasting);
Bloggers’ communities - MySpace, DigitalMotion, YouTube, BBC ICANN;
Blogging as a new channel of communication btw leaders and citizens.
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

10. e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution!
Citizen Journalism
Bloggers as Journalists;
Witnessing the news: acting as images and content providers to news agencies;
Traditional Media convergence;
OhMyNews.com; SLObserver
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

11. e-Participation: A Bottom Up Revolution!
Second Life (secondlife.com) to Mediascape
Web Virtual World;
Total Residents: over 5M, Online: 30K, US$ 1.5M in 24H;
Secure Client - One Stop Shop Experience;
Public Presence: French Presidential, Swedish Embassy, La Maison de l’Europe, Cities (e.g. Venice);
Positive Media Reviews;
Mediascape - SL in RL, Device Independent;
The Future Challenge of e-Democracy.
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

12. 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
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

13. The European eDemocracy Award. www. politech-institute. org/edem_award
The European eDemocracy Award
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).
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

14. The European eDemocracy Award www. politech-institute. org/edem_award
The European eDemocracy Award
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.
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

15. 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 Wallstrom’s 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;
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;
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007

16. Thank You! Daniel van Lerberghe
POLITECH INSTITUTE
European Center of Political Technologies
Address: Saint Bernard, 67 – Brussels B-1060 – Belgium
– website:
e-democracy: new opportunities for enhancing civic participation - Strasbourg - 24 April 2007