Hilmar Westholm

Scenarios for Future Use of E-Democracy Tools in Europe

Many ICT-based tools for supporting democratic participation that have been developed with public funds and applied in pilot projects have not yet achieved large-scale outreach. Optimists still believe this will happen; sceptics doubt. This paper starts from the assumption that technological development and diffusion are largely influenced by socioeconomic conditions. It develops a contingency model for e-democracy tools and applies the scenario method for differentiating the future context of these tools. It is based on the results of a research project that described possible futures of European e-government in general and e-democracy in particular on a 10-year time horizon by using the scenario method and inputs from European experts on e-government. Out of three different scenarios, possible and plausible futures of e-democracy are described in order to analyse robust technologies that are expected to be used in all three scenarios.

Methodology for Analysing the Relationship between the Reorganisation of the Back Office and Better Electronic Public Services

This paper reports on a methodology for analysing the relationship between the reorganisation of government back offices, which contributes to the full realisation of eGovernment, and efficient electronic public services. It derives from research currently being carried out for the European Commission in which about 400 cases from around Europe are being subject to preliminary survey, from which a selection of between 20 and 30 of the most advanced ‘good practice’ cases will be studied in depth. Preliminary results are expected in September 2003 and full results in October 2003.

Consensus Building by Blended Participation in a Local Planning Process: The Case of the Public Stadium Swimming Pool in Bremen

This chapter presents a case of “real participation” which happened in The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Germany. When the city government felt that the largest public swimming pool, the Stadionbad, needed renewal and different proposals for the future design were made, they decided to open a public consultation. City Government and the City Parliament, who has the final budget authority, committed themselves to adopt the outcome of this participation process, if a consensus was reached out of a process, which would be considered as inclusive and fair. A combination of online tools and face-to-face meetings was chosen in order to include as many stakeholders as possible and to reach a consensus. The chapter describes the decision-making environment and the measures taken in the formulation, the analysis and the decision phase as well as the evaluation of the process requirements, which finally led to the adoption of the outcome of this process. A particular focus lies on the combination of different online- and offline forms of communication in the participation process and the important role the traditional local mass media have played in drawing attention of the public to this participation offer and thereby contributing to increase the inclusiveness of the process. The most important lesson learnt is that for a long time to come “real participation” has to be blended participation.