Public Policies on eParticipation in Austria

Abstract

Abstract. This paper assesses the status of eParticipation within the political system in Austria. It takes a top-down perspective focusing on the role of public participation and public policies on eParticipation. The status of eParticipation in Austria as well as of social and political trends regarding civic participation and its electronic embedding are analysed. The results show a remarkable recent increase of eParticipation projects and initiatives. A major conclusion is that eParticipation is becoming a subject of public policies in Austria; however, the upswing of supportive initiatives for public participation and eParticipation goes together with ambivalent attitudes among politicians and administration.

Framework for analysis of the management and organization of e-participation initiatives

“…There have been a number of studies looking at e-participation in different national settings, showing that the national context influences the adoption of e-participation (e.g. Aichholzer and Allhutter, 2009;Santaniello and Amoretti, 2013;Moss and Coleman, 2014). Particularly relevant are the politico-administrative, socio-economic and cultural-historical contexts, the development of civil society as well as the national-level digitalization policies.…”

e-Participation in Austria: Digital Agenda Vienna

“…The Unibrennt Movement, kick-started in 2009 by students in response to political decisions about higher education in Austria on the other hand, represents a bottom-up initiative (Edelmann et al, 2011). Aichholzer and Allhutter (2009b), however, note that 'eParticipation is becoming a subject of public policies in Austria; however, the upswing of supportive initiatives for public participation and eParticipation goes together with ambivalent attitudes among politicians and administration' (p. 1).…”

We asked, you said, we did: Assessing the drivers and effectiveness of an e-participation practice in Scotland

“…The first is related to the 'supply side' of e-participation research (Krishnan et al, 2013), with an examination of the impact of the national and organizational context on the adoption of the initiative. The prevailing role of the national context (Aichholzer and Allhutter, 2009;Santaniello and Amoretti, 2013;Moss and Coleman, 2014) and the peculiarity of the Scottish Approach will be revealed.The second aspect is related to the effects of e-participation practices on external collaborations and more generally on the policy design process in which public concerns and aspirations are considered. The role of the Scottish national context will be analysed to determine whether We asked, you said, we did can be considered a successful practice in terms of the inclusion of citizen and stakeholder views.We begin this chapter by reviewing the literature on e-participation practices and outlining the methodology.…”

“…The first is related to the 'supply side' of e-participation research (Krishnan et al, 2013), with an examination of the impact of the national and organizational context on the adoption of the initiative. The prevailing role of the national context (Aichholzer and Allhutter, 2009;Santaniello and Amoretti, 2013;Moss and Coleman, 2014) and the peculiarity of the Scottish Approach will be revealed.…”