Abstract
Since 2000, a number of parliaments and governments have introduced electronic petitions systems (e-petitions). Compared to most other means of e-participation made available by public institutions, e-petitions have moved beyond the experimental stage and are characterized by a high level of institutionalization and procedural maturity. Hence, the field of e-petitioning is particularly promising if the relationship between public institutions and Internet-based participation channels is to be better understood. Based on empirical data generated in the research project "Public electronic petitions and civic involvement" conducted on behalf of the German Bundestag, the article undertakes an analysis of the e-petition systems of the Scottish Parliament, the Parliament of Queensland, the Bundestag and the Norwegian Municipalities in comparative perspective. Apart from presenting the systems’ main technical and procedural features and selected user statistics, the article attempts to explain the high attractiveness of e-petitions for parliaments and governments.
Highlights
Two main types of informal e-petitions can be distinguished: e-petitions initiated by NGOs as part of political campaigns, and e-petition platforms operated by private organizations which provide the internet-based infrastructure to initiate e-petitions and collect signatures online
Of the 25 potential international e-petition cases, which were identified in a preliminary research step, the following formal e-petition systems were selected for the in-depth analysis: the e-petitioner of the Scottish Parliament,8 the e-petition system at the Parliament of Queensland,9 and the e-petition system at the municipal level in Norway
The user statistics show that the e-petition systems operated by the three parliaments by and large have been accepted by the petitioners and their supporters
Summary
Petitions are defined as formal requests to an authority, usually a governmental institution. Two main types of informal e-petitions can be distinguished: e-petitions initiated by NGOs as part of political campaigns, and e-petition platforms operated by private organizations (both commercial and not-for-profit) which provide the internet-based infrastructure to initiate e-petitions and collect signatures online. The most widespread participatory element, which is common place among all informal e-petition systems, is the opportunity to support a public e-petition with an electronically submitted signature. Not quite as common are internet-based discussion forums which allow for public debates on the issues raised by a public e-petition Beyond these participatory elements, other functions such as automatically generated e-mail alerts sent out to users once public e-petitions on related issues are submitted, or a “wiki-style” authoring of e-petition texts prior to an official submission are conceivable
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