Citizen-representative dialogue: what can be done online?

A 3-year European initiative, ‘u@marenostrum,’ which aimed to stimulate online dialogue about water management between citizens and officials in regions of Spain and Greece, has recently come to a close. Citizen-representative online dialogue is a key area of development for many governments and, while there are examples of similar platforms springing up, there is limited evidence of whether and how these platforms can be really effective.

Sciencewise-ERC contacted the organisers of the project and found out that the following lessons had been learnt.

• Platforms should be multi-topic. One of the challenges was that participation fluctuated with the profile of the issue in the media, making it hard to sustain dialogue. A platform that spans different issues would mean there was potential for cross fertilisation of participants. This is encouraging for the UK Government as it embarks on alpha.gov; one portal where citizens can engage on many issues with central Government.
• Gaining full political support for participation is key. As the focus is on dialogue rather than consultation, representatives need to be willing not only to listen to the views of participants at the end, but also to give time during the process to engage in dialogues and respond to citizens’ concerns. The organisers were happy that they had been successful at this, demonstrated by the fact that both regional governments have opted to continue working with the platforms for at least another 2 years and there are discussions taking place about other regions getting involved.
• Organisers should ensure the approach used is appropriate for the target audience. To encourage wide participation, targeted marketing and media campaigns are needed to support the adoption of online forums.