Increase Citizen Participation Research Articles

How bottom-up and top-down governance of community energy initiatives affects citizens’ perceptions, acceptability, and willingness to join

Community energy initiatives (CEIs) can potentially foster a sustainable energy transition. Yet, few citizens participate in them. This paper examines how CEI governance influences their appeal. We propose that community members' and external parties' (municipality and/or enterprises) involvement in CEI governance affects their appeal through different pathways. Whereas external parties' involvement may boost the CEI's perceived collective efficacy to advance a sustainable transition, community members' involvement may enhance perceived identity leadership, reflecting the extent to which the initiative is fostering ‘us’ as a local community. Results of three experimental studies and surveys (Ntotal = 3135) conducted in four EU countries show that community members' involvement, but not external parties' involvement, in CEI governance promotes perceived efficacy and identity leadership of the CEI, and thereby its acceptability and people's willingness to join. This has important policy implications for increasing citizen participation in CEIs and the sustainable energy transition.

Lived expertise of the structurally disadvantaged: towards a more just participatory transport planning process

In response to the negative effects of the car-dominated transport sector, especially in urban areas, and wider attempts to tackle the climate crisis, cities are reallocating car-dominated areas to promote active mobility, leisure and urban green space. These reallocations often take an experimental character and are accompanied by participation processes. Increased citizen participation results from both a paradigm shift in urban planning and a discourse shift towards mobility justice, emphasizing procedural and recognitional aspects of the transport transition. However, participatory planning processes themselves are conflict-ridden. They are criticised for favouring a loud, priviliged minority. Based on the need for diverse knowledge for mobility justice, including lived expertise, this study examines reasons for (non-) participation among structurally disadvantaged groups in transport planning, using Berlin’s Graefekiez neighbourhood as a case study. Focus groups were conducted with mobility-disabled people and women from a residential area with low socio-economic status. Our analysis revealed that non-participation was influenced by the feeling of being excluded and ignored. Simultaneously, the research format created was perceived as a welcoming space that better reflects the lived expertise of the neighbourhood and facilitates real exchange of perspectives. Based on this, recommendations are derived to improve participatory transport planning processes and the strengths of transdisciplinary projects.

Closing a gap or creating a new one? Comparing support for participatory instruments among different stakeholders

AbstractRepresentative democracy is perceived to be in crisis in many Western countries. Increasing citizen participation is often considered to be a remedy to close this gap between government and the people. Which instruments should be used to realize this remains, however, open for discussion. In this article, we compare attitudes of citizens, politicians and civil servants towards a number of participatory instruments. We assess to what extent these attitudes are influenced by ‘interests’ (operationalized as the formal position one takes: either politician, citizen or civil servant) and ‘ideas’ (measured as ideological beliefs), while holding the institutional context constant (the local level in Flanders [Belgium]). Analyses based on a large‐scale survey (N = 4,168) show that although the ideological position of the respondents to some extent affects attitudes towards particular participatory instruments, especially their formal position has a considerable impact on how participatory instruments are appreciated. Indeed, different stakeholders distinctly advance different instruments as the best way to enhance citizen participation. This raises questions about the potential of citizen participation to narrow the gap between citizens and policymakers, as diverging attitudes towards particular instruments might create a new gap rather than closing one.

The Open Data Newsroom: A Game Approach for Developing Open Data Competencies in Elementary School

Open Data refers to digital data that is made available to anyone with the legal and technical conditions to be freely used, reused, and redistributed. Although it has emerged as a new common with the potential to increase citizen participation and transparency, current literature suggests the lack of skills for managing data and participating in Open Data processes, as one of the main barriers to achieve these benefits. Integrating Open Data in school education has been recognized as key to fostering a larger community able to participate in Open Data ecosystems. This study showcases the design of a role-playing game grounded in authentic learning principles for the development of Open Data competencies in elementary school. The Open Data Newsroom is a game approach that immerses students in solving a mystery with data. In the game, students play Open Data Journalists engaging in a three-phase authentic process to get, understand and deliver data. The learning goal in the game is that students build open data competencies: data literacy and real-world problem solving. A design-based research methodological approach is applied to develop theory based and practically grounded educational designs. Two interventions in Danish schools have been conducted, each one with the participation of seventeen students in 7th to 9th grade and three teachers. Interventions are aimed at iteratively designing and testing the game. The discussion section elaborates on opportunities for redesigning and systematically developing the game as a learning design for Open Data competencies.

E-Governance Initiatives and Citizen Participation at Global Perspective: Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: This systematic review examines extant literature to understand the relationship between e-governance initiatives and citizen participation. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted a systematic review of 72 articles published in interdisciplinary journals indexed in the Web of Science database between 1900 and 2024. This review examined various forms of e-governance, including digital platforms, official websites, mobile apps, social media, and open data portals Findings: This review revealed the evolution of e-governance from basic online services to sophisticated digital governance utilizing AI and data science. While e-governance initiatives hold promise for increased citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in policymaking, several factors influence their success, including technological infrastructure, digital literacy, trust in government, and legal frameworks. This study identified gaps in the current knowledge base, particularly regarding the long-term sustainability and impact of these initiatives. Implications/Originality/Value: These findings highlight the need for interdisciplinary research to better understand and evaluate the effectiveness of citizen-empowering e-governance initiatives. This study provides a structured overview of existing knowledge, pinpoints open research questions, and suggests a unified model for future research in this area.

Artificial intelligence for citizen participation to promote sustainable services for sustainable development in South African municipalities: A conceptual analysis

The linkages between adequate service delivery and sustainable development have been given a little academic attention in the South Africa’s local municipalities. For this reason, the achievement of sustainable development has been difficult which has culminated in the occurrence of service delivery protests. These service delivery protests have posed critical threats to social security thus affecting the possibility to achieve sustainable development in South Africa. the paper findings showed that the delivery of inadequate services to the citizens is triggered by the failure to equally include citizens in the process. One of the threats that the paper found is the fact that these service delivery protests have become a major issue and any move to solve them without citizen participation has been unsuccessful. The paper findings also showed that that the lack of adequate service delivery to the citizens causes human insecurities which in turn affect the achievement of sustainable development. This is because the occurrence of the service delivery protests deteriorates national economic growth and human growth. They affect foreign investors and international tourists by instilling fear in them and yet they are contributors to sustainable economic growth that leads to sustainable development. The findings of this paper also presented that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can increase citizen participation during service delivery. It is through the use of citizen participation that openness, transparency, accountability, and representation principles that promote the delivery of adequate services are possible. The paper found that using AI technologies would also foster trust between the service provider and service receiver needed for delivering adequate services, thus achieve sustainable development in South Africa.

Importable or exceptional? Swiss direct-democratic instruments in the French and German Parliaments, 2000–19

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen growing interest in the ways politicians conceive direct democracy instruments (DDIs) and their integration into representative systems as one way to increase citizen participation. Our investigation focuses on how French and German members of parliament (MPs) have mobilized DDIs in Switzerland as a (counter-) model in parliaments from 2000 to 2019, a period marked about debates on the need to complement representative democracy with alternative procedures. The Swiss case acts as a prism of perception through which we can trace the larger conceptual struggles around democracy and DDIs. We underline the heightened topical importance of DDIs in the 2000s and their increasingly controversial nature, especially in the late 2010s following the rise of populism and the Brexit Referendum. The growth of anti-system and radical-right challengers presenting a DDI agenda and claiming the Swiss model for their own led mainstream parties to a defensive position as regards to representative democracy, whether by rejecting DDIs more than ever or by trying to reclaim their interpretative monopoly over them.

Международный опыт применения управленческих технологий в системе государственного управления

This article examines the impact of innovation on public administration and planning in the context of comparative analysis. The author emphasizes key aspects such as the development of digital technologies, ensuring the availability of information, increasing citizen participation and protecting data privacy. The main focus is on analytics to ensure public safety, counter insider threats, human resource management and urban infrastructure development. Methods for utilizing Big Data and artificial intelligence in public administration are presented, along with outcomes from governmental projects based on Big Data. It is noted that the collection and analysis of vast amounts of statistical information allows authorities to develop targeted support programs for specific social groups, optimize urban infrastructure and transport, and improve public safety by identifying financial crimes and illegal activities. Furthermore, the introduction of big data technologies can bring the quality of public services to a new level and make the political decision-making process more transparent and citizen-centric.

Perencanaan partisipatif taman tematik Perumahan Kampoeng Semawis Semarang

This community service focuses on participatory planning of thematic parks at the Kampoeng Semawis Housing Complex, Semarang. This area has great potential to be developed into a useful public space, but currently the existing green open space is still less than optimal in its use. The focus of this service is to create a thematic park that not only functions as a green open space, but also as a place for social interaction and education for residents. The main issue faced is the lack of community involvement in planning and managing public spaces, which results in a lack of sense of ownership and concern for existing facilities. Through a participatory approach, this program aims to increase citizen participation in planning and managing public spaces. It is hoped that with this thematic park, the level of citizen participation in maintaining and utilizing public spaces will increase, which will ultimately improve the quality of life for the residents of Kampoeng Semawis. This community service aims to examine the participatory planning process for thematic parks in Kampoeng Semawis and its impact on community participation and the quality of life of local residents. It is hoped that the results of this program can become a model for the development of public space in other residential areas in Semarang.

Hybrid Democratic Innovations: If and When They Impact Decision-Making

ABSTRACT Increased citizen participation through democratic innovation is an increasingly popular response to the dual challenges of complex global problems and democratic malaise. Hybrid democratic innovations (HDIs), which combine deliberative and plebiscitary elements, could potentially realise the benefits of both forms, including improving the impact on decision-making. This paper explores the conditions under which a range of hybrid democratic innovations impact decision-making on policy. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, two sufficient pathways where HDIs achieve impact on decision-making are identified. Strikingly, an active public engagement strategy is present in both of these routes to impact on decision-making, highlighting its importance – although always in combination with other design and contextual conditions. In regional or national-level cases with impact, we find an active public engagement strategy occurs in combination with a tight connection to representative institutions and on issues of low complexity. In local-level cases with impact, an active public engagement strategy occurs in combination with low rates of citizen participation, a finding which downplays the importance of the rate of participation on impact on decision-making. By assembling a comparative mapping of the field of HDIs, this paper helps us better understand when they (can) have an impact.

ENSURING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF WOMEN IN MODERN STATE ADMINISTRATION AS AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE OF INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

Abstract: This article examines the question of how to increase citizen participation in government and political culture in modern modern society. In particular, the issue of increasing the inclusiveness of political participation, especially ensuring the social and political activity of women, is described. It is based on the fact that improving the political culture of women, who make up half of the population, and ensuring their rights are an important element of the gender equality strategy in our country. The article focuses on the need to form a gender culture and increase the political literacy of women.

Analisis Efisiensi Dan Efektivitas E-Government Dalam Administrasi Publik

E-Government has become central to the transformation of public administration, offering various possibilities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government services. This analysis investigates how the implementation of e-government affects public administration from the perspective of operational efficiency and achievement of public service objectives. In addition, E-government is the vanguard of efforts to provide information and services to citizens, businesses, employees and government units, and other organizational sectors. This study adopts a qualitative approach where the sources collected come from journals, books. The results show that the efficiency and effectiveness of e-Government in public administration related to the application of information technology has a significant positive impact. E-Government is also able to increase efficiency in the delivery of public services by cutting bureaucracy and speeding up administrative processes. Simultaneously, the effectiveness of e-Government is reflected in faster responses to citizen needs, enhanced transparency, and increased citizen participation in public decision-making.

The The Application of E-Government in the Development of Village Government Democracy in Gowa Regency Indonesia

The use of e-government in Gowa Regency's villages to improve democracy is the subject of this study. The primary issue facing village governance in the digital age is how information technology may be used to increase citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. This study is unique in that it examines how e-government interacts with the still-unexplored village governance context. The main inquiries this study aims to address are: What ways may the Gowa Regency's village governments be made more democratic through the use of e-government ? In three villages in Gowa Regency, case studies were used in the research method, which was qualitative. Observation, interviews, documentation, and literature review were used to gather data. According to the findings, using e-government improved community engagement, boosted budget management transparency, and promoted village government accountability. The major finding is that e-government has a lot of promise to improve village governance through democracy. The necessity for digital literacy and a strong technological foundation, as well as the importance of village governments in promoting public engagement and ensuring openness and accountability in the use of information technology, are all important implications. This study adds significantly to the local and international literature on e-government and local democracy by providing a new understanding of how e-government is used to strengthen democracy in the context of village governance.

PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI DI BANK SAMPAH KAMPUNG RAMAH LINGKUNGAN KAMPOENG BERSERI, KECAMATAN CILEUNGSI, KABUPATEN BOGOR

The waste bank program at KRL Kampoeng Berseri is an effort to use waste as economic value. However, savings management is still done manually, so officers find it difficult when residents don't bring notes. As a result, the savings collected were taken immediately so that local residents received less benefit. This causes the enthusiasm of waste bank customers in Kampoeng Berseri to decrease so that the waste bank program does not run optimally. so it is necessary to apply information technology. For this reason, information technology is applied to manage waste savings and provides information technology training on waste savings management to waste bank administrators as managers and residents of the Kampoeng Berseri KRL environment. This service activity starts from preparation by identifying problems, determining solutions and developing applications. Then the implementation consisted of grants and training in managing the waste bank and residents around Limus Nunggal village. Lastly, evaluation to measure the results of community service activities. Based on the survey results, it shows that implementing community service can increase citizens' interest in using the application. Apart from that, residents also stated that this community service activity had good benefits and could be applied in everyday life and agreed to continue this service program in the future. The community service program has succeeded in improving the management of waste savings using information technology and increasing citizen participation and support for the program.

On-line linguistic Decision Support System based on Citizen Crowd Decision Making

Scientific outreach and efforts to increase citizen participation have brought research closer to society and inspired new careers in STEM. In virtual events, it is now easier to monitor participation and get feedback through online surveys. However, in in-person events and crowded contexts, there is no technological solution to gather attendees’ opinions on a given event. This is why we are presenting a flexible online linguistic Decision Support System based on a Citizen Crowd Decision Making model, which can be used in a wide range of scenarios. It is powered by a mobile application to collect citizen feedback and a web environment that publicizes the event and generates attendee evaluation reports. DIME+ is a Decision Support System and is intended for the organizers of outreach events, especially Citizen Science events.

Inclusive urban planning for upgrading an informal settlement

ABSTRACT Many developing and emerging economies have experienced rapid urbanization and rising living standards in recent decades, resulting in sustainability-related problems and other hazards that may go unnoticed when considering sustainable development plans. In this context, poverty alleviation and rapid economic development typically take precedence over environmental aspects. However, better urban planning and management are needed to limit the impact of unprecedented growth on cities’ livability. This study presents the results of integrated and participatory territorial planning, which promotes efficient and sustainable territory and development governance and develops an integrated local development plan (LDP) that integrates urban-environmental and socio-economic aspects in an informal settlement in a developing country, Pemba City in Mozambique, through inclusive and collective planning decisions. We propose a multidisciplinary geographical information system-based framework methodology for spatial evaluation and visualization, which supports scenario development by involving stakeholders and citizens in decision-making processes and providing targeted suggestions for devising LDPs. The project achieved the following outcomes: (i) increased citizen participation; (ii) generation of guidelines and tools for integrated and participatory territorial planning; and (iii) improvements in human well-being, particularly among youth and women. The results can aid urban planners in designing sustainable strategies for developing countries and engage stakeholders.

Monetary incentives to improve tax compliance: A Brazilian case study

AbstractMotivationTo enhance tax education and increase citizen participation in combatting tax evasion, monetary incentives may be used. In December (2021), the state government of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil launched the Receita Certa project. It aims to encourage new taxpayer habits, by refunding part of the tax collected by retailers on consumption back to citizens, contingent on its performance exceeding inflation rates. Taxpayers add their tax identification to receipts and request redemption every three months.PurposeWe analyse the impact of the Receita Certa project on the behaviour of consumers as taxpayers.MethodsWe evaluate the impacts of Receita Certa using difference‐in‐differences. The response variables are the monthly number and value of electronic receipts issued to beneficiaries. The treatment group consists of citizens eligible for the refund in its introduction month, while the remainder constitute the control group. The database includes receipts issued to 3.4 million taxpayers who added their tax identification to the receipt — spanning 11 months before and 18 months after the initiative, began resulting in 46.7 million records.FindingsThe Receita Certa proved ineffective, as it led to fewer tax documents issued. Distributing resources widely to many users does not seem the best solution, both in cost and results. Distribution goes first and foremost to people on higher incomes since they got larger prizes: the smaller prizes of people on lower incomes were often not claimed. The programme made tax more regressive. The programme was also costly.Policy implicationsStates that have a large tax gap need to improve their control systems. Initiatives like the Receita Certa that return resources widely to taxpayers to reduce tax evasion are widespread. Given the results shown, Receita Certa needs rethinking.

E-GOVERNMENT MATURITY ANALYSIS USING THE LAYNE AND LEE, HILLER AND BELANGER, AND SPBE MODELS

This research aims to analyze the level of e-government maturity in Kupang City using the Layne and Lee and Hiller and Belanger models and combine them with the SPBE model to provide a more comprehensive approach. The method used to develop an audit model involves a literature study to understand the e-government maturity model, identification of specific objectives for analysis of the Kupang City Population and Civil Registration Service (DUKCAPIL) website, determination of scope based on the SPBE model, determination of design audit criteria and benchmarks, collection and data synthesis from the Kupang City DUKCAPIL e-Government site, as well as analysis of audit findings, and using the GT Metrix tool for performance analysis and evaluation of the Kupang City DUKCAPIL website. The research results show that the lowest rating is F out of six, which indicates poor service performance. The Layne and Lee Model assessment gives a score of 18, indicating the technology's lack of integration and complexity. Hiller and Belanger's Model assessment gives a value of 13, indicating an immature level. These findings highlight significant gaps between the models evaluated. Recommendations based on research are to increase citizen participation by improving the Kupang City DUKCAPIL website based on a maturity model and the need for regular audits and ongoing evaluations to improve public services in Kupang City in e-government maturity. In conclusion, this research provides a new contribution to the field of e-government by highlighting the need for audits using several e-government maturity models to improve public services in Kupang City.

ՀԱՄԱՅՆՔԱՅԻՆ ԲՅՈՒՋԵՆԵՐԻ ԹԱՓԱՆՑԻԿՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՄԻՋԱԶԳԱՅԻՆ ՄՈԴԵԼՆԵՐԸ ԵՎ ԴՐԱՆՑ ՀՆԱՐԱՎՈՐ ԿԻՐԱՌՈՒՄԸ ԵՐԵՎԱՆ ՔԱՂԱՔՈՒՄ / INTERNATIONAL MODELS OF TRANSPARENCY OF COMMUNITY BUDGETS AND THEIR POSSIBLE APPLICATION IN THE CITY OF YEREVAN

The purpose of the article is to understand how to improve municipal budget planning, increase citizen participation, and ensure transparent and more efficient financial management, with an emphasis on improving the budget of the city of Yerevan. By analyzing international models of budget transparency for the goal set, this study identifies methods that can be applied to improve Yerevan’s community budget, while simultaneously offering solutions to challenges related to financial stability, accountability, and active public engagement. The research explored several successful foreign models, drawing on the experiences of cities that Yerevan can adopt. The findings highlight the importance of community budgets as a cornerstone of local self-governance, supporting the socio-economic development of communities. International experience demonstrates that the creation and management of municipal budgets require both effective financial management systems and a high level of citizen participation. In Armenia’s case, enhancing the local self-governance system is key to achieving sustainable community development and improving citizens’ quality of life. Studying foreign practices also enables the adoption of modern approaches like participatory budgeting, which is widely used in various countries

Historical foundations of the formation and development of judicial people’s power in the world

It is established that the development of judicial democracy worldwide is an exceptionally intriguing and relevant topic, as it signifies the gradual transformation of political systems towards increased citizen participation and influence in governance processes. From modern democratic societies to historical events of the past, the development of judicial democracy unveils numerous compelling aspects related to human rights, the principles of the rule of law, and the dynamics of power relations.
 The analysis of the development of judicial democracy worldwide becomes a genuinely relevant and important task for understanding contemporary social and political dynamics, as well as for devising effective strategies to ensure justice and protect human rights.
 The aim of the work is is to analyze the historical foundations of the formation and development of judicial people’s power in the world.
 The methodological basis of the study is an empirical method, methods of diachronic and synchronous analysis in a historical context.
 Results. The development of judicial democracy in the world can be periodized as follows: ancient times and ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages and the modern era, the revolutionary period, the 19th to the early 20th century, and the present day. As of today, jury courts operate in many countries worldwide. They handle a variety of cases, including criminal, civil, and administrative ones. In many European countries, jury courts are used to adjudicate serious criminal cases, where the verdict can be quite severe.
 Conclusions. The jury system continues to evolve and adapt to contemporary challenges. In many countries, the emphasis is placed on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all citizens participating in legal proceedings. Technological innovations also enable a more accessible and efficient process for case adjudication.
 The jury trial is an integral part of the judicial systems in many countries worldwide. It has evolved over centuries, remaining a crucial mechanism for ensuring justice. The modern jury system reflects democratic values and guarantees citizen participation in legal processes, contributing to the preservation of justice and equality under the law.