Characterizing eParticipation

Abstract

eParticipation is an emerging research area which, like most emerging areas, lacks a clear literature base or research approach. This study maps out some of the academic theories and disciplines that the new area addresses, using conventional literature study techniques. We identify 99 articles that are considered to be highly relevant to eParticipation. We develop a definitional schema that suggests different ways of understanding an emerging research area, and use this schema to identify key academic articles that help to define eParticipation. We adapt Deetz's [(1996). Describing differences in approaches to organization science: Rethinking Burrell and Morgan and their legacy. Organization Science, 7(2), 191–207] taxonomy of discourses in organizational science to provide an overall categorization scheme for research in the area, and map the literature. The article thus contributes to a developing picture which will help future researchers both to understand and to navigate the research area.

Introduction

eParticipation involves the extension and transformation of participation in societal democratic and consultative processes, mediated by information and communication technologies (ICTs). Democracy and the formal political process are fundamentally dependent on effective communication and informed decision-making about public issues amongst citizens, politicians, officers and other stakeholders who may be impacted by their collective decisions (Habermas, 1996; Van Dijk, 2000). Improved political participation may also require reorganization of government—perhaps into flatter hierarchies of more creative and cooperative officials.

Governments seek to encourage participation in order to improve the efficiency, acceptance, and legitimacy of political processes. This is in response to citizens, non-governmental organizations, lobbyists and pressure groups who often demand participation in order to further their own interests, either within the established political system or outside it through activism and opinion forming. Many ICTs are available (or are in development) which support, or have the potential to support this. Examples are chat technologies, discussion forums, electronic voting systems, group decision support systems, and web logging (blogs). The combination of the various stakeholders’ interest in participation and the development of the technological infrastructure have resulted in many new projects designed to exploit the potential of ICT that supports communication and participation in political processes (Bekkers, 2004; Best & Krueger, 2005; Curwell, Deakin, Cooper, & Paskaleva-Shapira, 2005).

The emergence of eParticipation as a process that enables and supports democratic initiatives is an evolution of many related communication services that are influenced by the rapid growth and acceptance of the Internet. There are now many practical eParticipation initiatives that have been initiated by governments and we are witnessing an emergence of companies that specialize in eParticipation technologies (e.g. Partecs Participatory Technologies (http://www.partecs.com)). In addition, there are substantial funded research programs (e.g. The European Network of Excellence Demo-net (http://www.demo-net.org)). Although the term is only slowly finding its place in the academic literature (Chang, 2005; Dutton, Steckenrider, Rosschristensen, & Lynch, 1984; Macintosh & Smith, 2002), and is less well established than some other terms (such as eDemocracy and eGovernance), there is enough evidence to support the emergence of eParticipation as an independent research area with its own unique focus.

When an area is in an early stage of development and is a ‘fragmented adhocracy’ (Whitley, 1984), it does not have dedicated journals, conferences, university departments or research centers. Definitional treatises like this article can help researchers understand how they can target their work, form alliances with other researchers, and begin to establish generally accepted terminologies that support a common language that is understood and accepted between researchers, practitioners, and funding agencies.

This paper contributes to the work of defining the emerging research area of eParticipation by

• presenting a definitional schema that suggests some useful ways of characterizing an area,

• listing a set of relevant and important literatures for the eParticipation area,

• categorizing eParticipation research styles according to a well-established framework of inquiry discourses.