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Description
Although policy-makers and different actors are harnessing e-tools to foster democratic processes, it is still difficult to assess the success of these tools because a universally applicable methodology for assessment of e-participation experiences is currently lacking. Moreover, while digital democracy is increasingly experimented at local and national levels, there are still no effective mechanisms for engaging citizens and CSOs in the process of co-producing policy solutions for Europe.
Our project proposes to pilot the collaborative method of crowdsourcing legislation in 5 beneficiary countries on the subject of air quality – a topic chosen because of its transnational nature and the problems associated with it. We will test a “social listening” method using advanced information technologies to monitor citizens’ opinions.
The evaluated results of the crowdsourcing pilots will be used to provide policy makers with recommendations on how to improve digital democracy in Europe; and the citizens’ contributions on air quality through the crowdsourcing and the “social listening” experiments will feed into and impact policy-making on national and on EU level.
We will develop a universally applicable methodology – the E-Participation Assessment Framework – to allow objective comparison of the results of e-participation projects across time and geographical space and use it for evaluating the crowdsourcing pilots. We will also test a “social listening” method through a Digital Dashboard to include citizens’ opinions. The project will deliver guidelines for ethical “social listening” to benefit from the availability of big data while protecting individual privacy and safeguarding citizens against inappropriate access and use of data.
Summary of project results
The project was born from the idea that (e-)participatory democracy processes can complement representative democracy to allow citizens to have a say in decision-making processes between elections. This can increase the trust of citizens in institutions and representatives and enhance the legitimacy of policymaking processes. The objective of the project was to enhance citizen engagement in policymaking through crowdsourcing – a participatory democracy method that gathers consultations online.
CODE Europe was the first transnational crowdsourcing implemented to allow European citizens to propose policy solutions to tackle air pollution in their cities – these recommendations were then brought to representatives at local, national and EU level. The project involved civic tech partners to develop a crowdsourcing platform that allowed thousands of citizen contributions in 4 phases and in 6 countries: Problem Mapping (daily challenges with air pollution, 45,888 participant), Solutions Proposal (policy solutions suggested by citizens, 44,791 solutions), E-voting (selection of priority policy solutions, 6,487 participants) and Co-Creation (final document co-created with the EEB with the top ten priorities for the EU level involving 1,130 participants).
To spread the experience of using crowdsourcing to influence public policy decision-making, CODE Europe has created an online course "Crowdsourcing for Civil Society Organisations". The course is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to harness the full potential of crowdsourcing for impactful citizen involvement. This course also addresses diverse facets of crowdsourcing, providing a comprehensive understanding of its applications in citizen organizations, national contexts, EU-level initiatives, technological setups, and citizen engagement campaigns.
The project resulted in thousands of citizens from different countries having the possibility to explain their problems with the air quality in their city and recommending solutions to their decision-makers. Several local representatives who were committed in taking up these recommendations in their environmental work and at the EU level, the final policy document was sent to MEPS and other EU stakeholders to impact the ongoing process of the Air Quality Directive.
The project developed the Assessment Framework for E-Participation, which is meant to be a universal methodology for evaluating digital democracy mechanisms to understand if e-participation actually enhances the quality of European democracy. The Framework was tested on crowdsourcing and improved to evaluate how “successful” the whole process was.
Summary of bilateral results
The Icelandic partner in the consortium, Citizens Foundation (CF), played an important role in the project, leveraging its extensive experience from Iceland''s Constitutional Reform to bring invaluable expertise to the crowdsourcing processes. As “veterans” in the field, CF''s involvement was critical at literally every step in the project. Experts at CF provided advice on several key aspects, including the development of the technology platform designed to facilitate the crowdsourcing initiative. Their insights were instrumental in formulating a communication strategy that effectively engaged citizens, ensuring maximum participation and interaction. However, CF also derived insights from partners in other European countries, gaining an understanding of how divergent state-level political cultures and public attitudes towards democracy necessitate the formulation of customized messages.CF contributed significantly to the development of the Assessment Framework. Their experience in managing crowdsourcing initiatives provided a robust foundation for the framework, making it a critical component for the project''s success.The collaboration with CF also brought a wealth of benefits to the donor country and the beneficiary countries involved in the project. The virtual Iceland study tour of the project (due to travel restrictions during COVID-19) laid down the foundations of intensive knowledge exchange. The donor country received practical support from CF''s expertise, enhancing its own capacities in crowdsourcing and civic engagement. On the other hand, the beneficiary countries benefited immensely from the knowledge and experience shared by CF. They learned about the intricacies of implementing crowdsourcing initiatives in diverse political and historical contexts. This exchange highlighted the adaptability of crowdsourcing methods to different national cultures of participation and the importance of tailoring approaches to fit each country''s unique circumstances.