How can online government platforms meet principles of inclusivity and deliberation? We reflect on this question based on a recent case of online participatory budgeting in a neighborhood of The Hague, the Netherlands (Duinoord Begroot). In terms of inclusivity, our findings suggest that sending out personal invitations and setting few voting requirements can contribute to online voting rates. Furthermore, the use of few participation criteria in the initial stages of the process can enhance the diversity of gathered ideas. In terms of deliberation, we discuss how the structure of an online platform may ‘nudge’ citizens towards deliberation. The results indicate that while the platform generated an equal distribution of arguments in favor of and against proposals, it did not engage citizens en masse in online discussions. We suggest that building incentives and feedback loops into the platform could address this limitation.
This chapter offers an overview of changes in Dutch perceptions of, and attitudes toward, same-sex sexuality and the part religion played in them. It discusses landmark events and publications from 1730—when “sodomy” became a public issue—until the present. It describes the evolution of discourse on same-sex sexuality, with special reference to the earliest publications on “homosexuality,” alias “Uranism,” which often referred to religion. In the twentieth century, Roman Catholic and Protestant opposition to homosexual emancipation gradually gave way to sympathy, and in the 1960s some pastors were vocal advocates of acceptance. In the early 1970s, homosexuality became a doctrinal issue, a religious identity marker. Polarization was exacerbated in the late 1970s, which saw the rise of both the gay and lesbian movement and religious fundamentalism. “Discursive associations” between religion—including Judaism and Islam—and homosexuality are brought to light partly by means of quantitative content analysis of newspapers.
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