Predicting success of online petitions from the perspective of agenda setting

Existing predictive models of online petition popularity largely overlooked the literature of agenda-setting. This study adheres to Cobb and Elder’s (1972) issue expansion model and symbolism (Birkland, 2017) in the agenda-setting literature. Examining the literature, we identified features of popular petitions and will examine the effects of these features on online petition success. Commonly used models will be used to evaluate our proposed features and to compare their performance with benchmark cases. The predictive model, i.e. the product of our study, is the combination of our proposed features and the best performing model. The contributions of the study are two-fold. This study demonstrates how we can translate the textual characteristics described by the literature of agenda-setting into technical features that are comprehensible to machines. On practical implications, a better predictive model helps activists to better utilize online platforms to secure support for their proposed policy changes

How the Supreme Court Uses the Certiorari Process in the Ninth Circuit To Further Its Pro-Business Agenda: A Strange Pas de Deux with an Unfortunate Coda

This Article examines the proposition that the Roberts Court has an unusually strong pro-business slant through the lens of the Court\u27s certiorari process. The Article uses data from the grant or denial of certiorari petitions filed in environmental cases over a sixteen-year period in both the Ninth and District of Columbia Circuits, selected because each court hears a large number of environmental cases. The recent record in the Ninth Circuit, where environmentalists win below only to lose in the high court, or lose below and subsequently have their petitions denied, is quite different from that in the D.C. Circuit. In the D.C. Circuit, during the same period, the high court has not reversed a single positive environmental decision issued below. In fact, over the same period, there is no instance of the Court granting a petition where environmentalists won in the D.C. Circuit. This Article explores the proposition that the Ninth Circuit has become a unique and useful foil for the Court\u27s conservative wing to advance its pro-business agenda through the manipulation of the certiorari process. The Article discusses various studies of the Roberts Court, which show that its decisions display a strong business bias, that the Court shapes its agenda through the certiorari process, and that the *654 personal policy objectives and preferences of individual Justices play a critical role in that process. The Article also illustrates how the Court\u27s selection of cases signals its preferences, which in turn influences the agenda of issue-oriented lawyers and thus the dockets of lower courts. This interplay has resulted in the Ninth Circuit playing an unusually important role in the evolution of environmental and natural resources law, as its decisions, which generally favor citizen plaintiffs challenging the authority of agencies to issue permits and engage in planning activities, attract the attention of the business-leaning Roberts Court. This conclusion becomes even more apparent when the contrasting types of plaintiffs and cases filed in the D.C. Circuit are brought to the fore. The Article concludes that there is little on the immediate horizon short of a dramatic change in Court personnel that foretells a change in that story. Finally, the Article holds out only the faintest of hopes that exposing this record may change the behavior of those Justices to whom institutional credibility and public acceptance retain some importance

A Multi-Appeal Model of Persuasion for Online Petition Success: A Linguistic Cue-Based Approach

Online petitions have become a powerful tool used by the public to affect change in society. Despite the increasing popularity of these petitions, it remains unclear how the public consumes and interprets their content and how this helps the creators of online petitions achieve their goals. This study investigates how linguistic factors present in online petition texts influence petition success. Specifically, drawing upon the dual-process theory of persuasion and the moral persuasion literature, this study examines cognitive, emotional, and moral linguistic factors in petition texts and identifies how they contribute to the success or failure of online petitions. The results, which are based on an analysis of 45,377 petitions from Change.org, show that petitions containing positive emotions and enlightening information are more likely to succeed. Contrary to popular belief, petitions containing heavy cognitive reasoning and those emphasizing moral judgment are less likely to succeed. This study also exemplifies the use of an analytical approach for examining crowd-sourced content involving online political phenomena related to policy-making, governance, political campaigns, and large social causes

An institutional perspective on information and communication technologies in governance

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasing relevant in policy making and governance activities. However, the broad effects of digital governance have not been adequately conceptualised; conflicting assumptions vary from rather optimistic accounts of empowered citizens to even completely dismissing the potential of engagement through technical means. This research attempts to reposition the impact of ICTs on policy making and political communities. Drawing from institutional studies, an integrated perspective is synthesised to guide case investigations in three main directions: (1) the way influences from the institutional environment are understood and balanced locally, (2) the co-evolution of institutional and technological configurations and (3) the dynamic response of institutional actors to the challenge of online engagement. The empirical part focuses on two different contexts (local government authorities and a trade union federation) that cover the holistic objective of this study. The findings inform on the extent to which ICTs are actually merging with existing governance structures. Both studies show that policy making is fundamentally different from other activities at the general intersection of Internet and politics. Citizens form online communities to organise ad hoc around single issue movements. However, this does not necessarily translate into sustainable and meaningful participation in formal politics. Hence, adapting institutional structures emerges as a complicated challenge beyond fitting technical means into existing engagement activities. On this basis, the thesis questions the extent to which policy making mechanisms are able to enact engagement from the grassroots, as for example encouraged by the social media collaboration philosophy. Implications for practice show how the alignment between new tools and the existing norms has the potential to identify paths of least resistance, and then exploit them to accomplish positives changes whose beneficial effects should not be taken for granted.Department of Information Systems and Computing, Brunel Universit

Prospects for e-democracy in Europe

The drivers behind e-participation are digitalisation, the development of digital tools that can be usedfor citizen involvement – social media, deliberative software, e-voting systems, etc. – and growingaccess to the internet. In European countries, especially those that rank prominently among the top 50performers, citizens have more and more opportunities to have their say in government and politics.According to the UN, the largest share of e-participation initiatives relates to central and localgovernments giving access to public sector information and public consultation via digital tools.Recently there has been a growing focus on citizen involvement in policy making, although progressin this field has been modest so far

European E-Democracy in Practice

This open access book explores how digital tools and social media technologies can contribute to better participation and involvement of EU citizens in European politics. By analyzing selected representative e-participation projects at the local, national and European governmental levels, it identifies the preconditions, best practices and shortcomings of e-participation practices in connection with EU decision-making procedures and institutions. The book features case studies on parliamentary monitoring, e-voting practices, and e-publics, and offers recommendations for improving the integration of e-democracy in European politics and governance. Accordingly, it will appeal to scholars as well as practitioners interested in identifying suitable e-participation tools for European institutions and thus helps to reduce the EU’s current democratic deficit. This book is a continuation of the book “Electronic Democracy in Europe” published by Springer

Public Attention and Certiorari: The Impact of Public Attention on Supreme Court Petitions

Research surrounding how much influence the public has on the U.S. Supreme Court offers conflicting results. Some scholars argue that because the Court is politically insulated it does not pay much attention to what the public desires when deciding cases. Others suggest the Court’s decisions reflect prevailing public moods. I join in this debate and argue that public opinion indirectly influences the Court by motivating key actors to support cases and file briefs, thereby helping shape the Court’s agenda. When powerful attorneys such as the Solicitor General or large D.C. law firms are involved in a petition for certiorari, there is a higher likelihood that these petitions will be granted certiorari. In addition, I argue public attention spurs action among special interest groups in the form of Amicus curiae briefs and gets the attention of powerful lawyers and government appointees. Once again, these actions increase the likelihood of a case being heard on the merits. I use data from social media to determine how much specific issue areas are being talked about among the American public and build models showing how increased attention leads to discernible effects on the certiorari process at the U.S. Supreme Court. I find that the public, albeit indirectly, does have an impact on what petitions are given more attention by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many have argued that the Court is immune from public pressure, and these findings give evidence against that argument

The Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DGO2022) Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens June 15-17, 2022

The 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research theme is “Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens”. Data and computational algorithms make systems smarter, but should result in smarter government and citizens. Intelligence and smartness affect all kinds of public values - such as fairness, inclusion, equity, transparency, privacy, security, trust, etc., and is not well-understood. These technologies provide immense opportunities and should be used in the light of public values. Society and technology co-evolve and we are looking for new ways to balance between them. Specifically, the conference aims to advance research and practice in this field. The keynotes, presentations, posters and workshops show that the conference theme is very well-chosen and more actual than ever. The challenges posed by new technology have underscored the need to grasp the potential. Digital government brings into focus the realization of public values to improve our society at all levels of government. The conference again shows the importance of the digital government society, which brings together scholars in this field. Dg.o 2022 is fully online and enables to connect to scholars and practitioners around the globe and facilitate global conversations and exchanges via the use of digital technologies. This conference is primarily a live conference for full engagement, keynotes, presentations of research papers, workshops, panels and posters and provides engaging exchange throughout the entire duration of the conference

The Use of Marketing Knowledge in Formulating and Enforcing Consumer Protection Policy

The purpose of this first chapter of the handbook is to discuss how the findings and approaches offered by the marketing discipline are used in consumer protection policy

Language Complexity And The Supreme Court Decision To Grant Certiorari

Each term 8,000 cases are submitted to the Supreme Court seeking certiorari; a mere 1% of these petitions are granted to be orally argued before the Court. Amicus curiae briefs are often filed in hopes of improving the chances of receiving a favorable cert decision. Existing literature explains that briefs of quality are viewed more favorably by the justices and their clerks, along with briefs submitted by influential groups. The literature does not provide an explanation for the elements included in certain briefs that establish this level of quality, focusing instead on the names of those filing them. I describe the influential language, brief length, and complexity included that influences the Court’s decision to grant or deny cert. I created measures of language complexity and evaluated these variables in regards to specific interest groups. My findings mirror those in the literature. The number of amicus briefs submitted to the Court influence decisions made at the cert stage, however there is little variation in the length of words included in briefs that were either denied or granted. The same holds true when controlling for word length per type of amicus as well