9 research outputs found
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e-Democracy driven by civil society: Developing a theoretical basis to design for bottom-up participation
This short paper outlines initial ideas for a programme of research related to e-Democracy which commences in October 2008 and will be undertaken over the next three years. The research specifically intends to focus on factors in the architecture of online discursive spaces which may affect sustained and meaningful participation. It begins by describing the context as it relates to Community Informatics (CI). It then outlines the nature of one of the online communities that will be at the centre of the enquiry. Finally, it outlines four theoretical perspectives which seem to offer a route to analysis and sense-making, suggesting how a synthesis of these perspectives might contribute to original insights for CI
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Direct deliberative local governance using online media โ consensual problem solving or a recalcitrant pluralism?
This paper describes and analyses distinct patterns of 'governance conversation' observed in interactions on a discussion list that aims to support local, direct, governance in a geographically colocated community in South Africa. Although each pattern relates to governance, making 'binding decisions', which has been seen as a key attribute of deliberative democratic processes, is almost entirely absent from the observed interactions. Nonetheless, the exchanges appear to be relevant and useful to the broader process of local direct deliberative governance. We investigate the extent to which the patterns feature instrumental or expressive dialogue, and subsequently support consensual or pluralist outcomes. The results propose that online interaction is particularly suited to facilitating the pluralist deliberation required to manage complex local governance problems. The outcomes observed in the case study further suggest the potential value of an infrequently investigated context of online deliberation โ that of citizen-to-citizen deliberation of geographically local issues; and presents a broader conception of the role of online deliberation in local governance, where formal decision making is frequently over privileged in research
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Hyperlocal Online Deliberation and Civic Governance: A Sociotechnical Perspective
This dissertation concerns the role of online deliberation in hyperlocal governance, that is the self-governance of a small geographically bounded neighbourhood or community. The research has three closely related but distinct purposes: to assess the impact of online technology in terms of the emergent character of self-governance; to describe the social and technological relations that produced the observed impact; and to suggest explanations that link those socio-technical relations with the observed governance effects. The work draws upon concepts at the intersection of theories from human-centred computing, especially those that relate to online deliberation, and from political science, where direct deliberative democracy offers an evaluative benchmark for democratic governance.
This interdisciplinary theoretical framework provides the basis for a case-based analysis of empirical observations of online interactions relating to hyperlocal governance. The study describes and analyses patterns of "governance conversation" observed in interactions on local e-mail lists, and shows how they facilitate the pluralist deliberation required to manage complex local governance problems. The analysis suggests how geographic proximity presents both distinctive opportunities and constraints for online deliberation that aspires to support direct, democratic process and practice
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e-Governance: Supporting pragmatic direct deliberative action through online communities of interest
Authors often report on the limited success of e-Government initiatives in developing nations. Top down, national strategies are developed to target improved government services, but maintain hierarchical, citizen-state conceptions of governance through representative democracy. An alternative conception, direct deliberative democracy, frames the potential role of the internet in governance differently. Web based platforms might support locally animated deliberations, which target pragmatic outcomes, while the resulting social networks afford collective learning through connections across traditional boundaries. This paper presents an investigation of direct deliberative governance as it occurs in online 'communities of interest', and is based on research with such a community in southern Africa. We investigate contributions to the online governance process and develop an action typology distinguishing between degrees of 'agency freedom'. Network analytic techniques are then used to understand how acts of varying degree are expressed in terms of the structure of a social network. The aim, more broadly, is to understand how the environment shapes acts of direct deliberative governance, and, in turn, how the acts shape the evolution and effectiveness of the community. The preliminary results suggest design considerations for online governance communities, and highlight their role to not only provide deliberative space, but to mediate social network connections
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Direct deliberative governance and the Web: The collaborative work of democratic decision-making mediated by an online social environment
Direct deliberative democracy presents a conceptually attractive model of civic governance โ particularly relevant at local scale. We outline the 'work' of direct deliberative democracy by considering its underlying principles and objectives, and discuss four fundamental challenges that are commonly proposed: the difficulty of coordinating direct participation, the expertise required of participants, the often underestimated dynamics of power in direct action, and that deliberation is not necessarily the sole, ideal mode of participation. At hand of a case study of an online 'community of interest', the paper investigates the potential role of social media to facilitate this work, and to mitigate the challenges cited
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Investigating direct deliberative governance in online social media [PhD Probation report]
Direct Deliberative Governance Online: Consensual Problem Solving or Accommodated Pluralism?
Abstract This article describes and analyses patterns of "governance conversation" observed in interactions on e-mail lists that aim to support local, direct governance in a geographically co-located community in South Africa. It examines the extent to which governance conversations feature instrumental or expressive dialogue and how they subsequently support consensual or pluralist outcomes. Although each conversation pattern relates to governance, the making of consensual, "binding decisions" which is usually seen as a key outcome of deliberative democratic processes, is almost entirely absent from the observed interactions. Nonetheless, the exchanges appear to be relevant and useful to the broader process of local direct deliberative governance. The results indicate that online interaction may be particularly suited to facilitating the pluralist deliberation required to manage complex local governance problems. The study points to the potential value of an infrequently investigated context of online deliberation - that of resident-to-resident deliberation on geographically local issues - and presents a broader conception of the role of online deliberation in local governance