The Gamification of Citizens' Participation in Policymaking
The Gamification of Citizens' Participation in Policymaking

Author: Kai Masser

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-04-17

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 3319785710

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This book examines the use of game elements to encourage citizens to participate in political decision-making and the planning of large-scale public sector projects. It argues that success is based on a personal concern with the project and a belief in the influence on political decision making, but also on fun. Without fun, only a very small group of the ‘usual suspects’ will participate, especially in classic policymaking approaches like citizens’ panels which require time and physical attendance. The book also examines the relationship between representative democracy and citizen participation from the perspective of direct democratic instruments in Germany. Readers from different countries with different political systems can decide for themselves, if and how the results from Germany are transferable to their respective conditions. Grounded in theoretical literature and statistical data, the book also makes use of narratives, applying a ‘storytelling’ approach to the case studies.

Public Administration in Germany
Public Administration in Germany

Author: Sabine Kuhlmann

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-01-29

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 3030536971

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This open access book presents a topical, comprehensive and differentiated analysis of Germany’s public administration and reforms. It provides an overview on key elements of German public administration at the federal, Länder and local levels of government as well as on current reform activities of the public sector. It examines the key institutional features of German public administration; the changing relationships between public administration, society and the private sector; the administrative reforms at different levels of the federal system and numerous sectors; and new challenges and modernization approaches like digitalization, Open Government and Better Regulation. Each chapter offers a combination of descriptive information and problem-oriented analysis, presenting key topical issues in Germany which are relevant to an international readership.

Citizen Participation in Democratic Europe
Citizen Participation in Democratic Europe

Author: Alberto Alemanno

Publisher: ECPR Press

Published: 2021-02-05

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1786612887

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As the European Union undergoes a major, self-proclaimed democratic exercise the Conference on the Future of Europe and approaches Treaty change, this volume offers a new model of citizen participation to address Europe's long-standing democracy challenge, and respond to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed are a set of democratic innovations, ranging from citizens assemblies to regulatory gaming to citizens initiatives and lobbying, which are complementary, not antagonistic, to existing representative democracy across the European continent. These innovations are emerging bottom-up across the continent and getting traction at local, national and EU level in a new era powered by technology. This book brings together academics as well as practitioners to give a forward-looking, holistic view of the realities of EU citizen participation across the spectrum of participatory opportunities. They all converge in arguing that, after many years of proven experimentation, the EU must institutionalize supranational, participative and deliberative, democratic channels to complement representative democracy and each other, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of EU citizen participation. While this institutional approach will not magically treat the EU democratic malaise, it should make the system more intelligible, accessible, and ultimately responsive to citizen demand without necessarily undertaking Treaty reform. The attempt to harness citizen participation to help address the current EU crisis needs the type of multi-faceted approach presented in this book. One that recognises the potential of existing and new democratic mechanisms, and also, importantly, the links between different instruments of citizen participation to improve the overall quality of EU's democratic system.

The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation
The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation

Author: Pragati Rawat

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-12-24

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 1000533034

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In this book Pragati Rawat and John C. Morris identify and evaluate the impact of factors that can help explain the difference in e-participation, public participation using information and communication technology, in different countries. While cross-sectional studies have been covered, few have taken an in-depth look at cross-national studies. This book attempts to fill the gap using quantitative panel data to explore the influence of technology and institutions, and the impact of their complex relationships in a mediation and moderation analysis, on e-participation. The current study reviews the scholarly work in the field of “offline” and “online participation” to identify a set of antecedents that influence e-participation. A conceptual framework is developed, supported by the theories from the public policy and socio-technical premise. The authors utilize secondary data, primarily from the UN and World Economic Forum, for 143 countries from three waves of surveys to measure the dependent and explanatory variables. The panel data is statistically analyzed and findings reveal the role of technology as a mediator as well as a moderator for institutions’ impact on e-participation. The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation provides a groundbreaking country-level analysis that will appeal to academics and students of e-government and Digital Government, Public Policy, Public Administration, Public Sector Innovation, and Public Participation.

Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions
Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions

Author: Norbert Streitz

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-07-07

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 303077015X

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This conference proceedings LNCS 12782 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9 th International Conference on Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions, DAPI 2021, held as part of the 23rd International Conference, HCI International 2021, which took place in July 2021. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The total of 1276 papers and 241 posters included in the 39 HCII 2021 proceedings volumes was carefully reviewed and selected from 5222 submissions. The papers of DAPI 2021, Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions, are organized in topical sections named: Smart Cities; IoT, Sensors and Smart Environments; Learning and Culture in Intelligent Environments; Designing Intelligent Environments.

Saving Democracy
Saving Democracy

Author: Gerry Stoker

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-04-21

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1350328278

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Democracy is in crisis. Is there still time to save it? Democracies face external threat from aggressive authoritarian states. Internally, citizens have grown increasingly distrustful of politicians and more cynical about national and global governance institutions. The time is ripe for democracy to renew itself. This text offers a state-of-the art overview of democratic innovations today, moving beyond cries of the 'death' or 'end' of democracy to instead offer a range of practical solutions for how to save it and restore faith in democratic practice. 'Old' democratic power, represented by existing structures, is being challenged. 'New' power involves collaboration and rapid feedback loops, as well as increased citizen participation. The future of democracy, the authors demonstrate, will be about findings ways of melding 'old' and 'new' power practices. Offering a broad and accessible survey of what different forms of democracy and democratic innovations look like today, and how they can develop in future, Saving Democracy shows us the potential for transformation across the entire democratic process. Avoiding a reductive focus on simply getting citizens more involved in decision-making, this book uniquely argues for the importance of refining and monitoring how democratic decisions are made and followed through.

The Science of Citizen Science
The Science of Citizen Science

Author: Katrin Vohland

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13: 3030582787

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This open access book discusses how the involvement of citizens into scientific endeavors is expected to contribute to solve the big challenges of our time, such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity, growing inequalities within and between societies, and the sustainability turn. The field of citizen science has been growing in recent decades. Many different stakeholders from scientists to citizens and from policy makers to environmental organisations have been involved in its practice. In addition, many scientists also study citizen science as a research approach and as a way for science and society to interact and collaborate. This book provides a representation of the practices as well as scientific and societal outcomes in different disciplines. It reflects the contribution of citizen science to societal development, education, or innovation and provides and overview of the field of actors as well as on tools and guidelines. It serves as an introduction for anyone who wants to get involved in and learn more about the science of citizen science.

OECD Public Governance Reviews Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy Preparing the Ground for Government Action
OECD Public Governance Reviews Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy Preparing the Ground for Government Action

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2022-11-17

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 9264919279

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This publication sheds light on the important public governance challenges countries face today in preserving and strengthening their democracies, including fighting mis- and disinformation; improving openness, citizen participation and inclusiveness; and embracing global responsibilities and building resilience to foreign influence.