Online Participation Tools and Their Benefits for Participatory Democracy
Chapter
Author(s) / editor(s):
Erico Przeybilovicz & Thomas Webler
Year: 2026
Language(s): English
Abstract:
This chapter examines e‑participation as a digital extension of deliberative democracy, showing how tools such as online forums, e‑voting, participatory budgeting platforms and civic apps can enhance inclusiveness, transparency and large‑scale deliberation. It assesses their legitimacy (input, process, outcomes), highlighting both benefits and risks—digital divides, tokenism, resource and design constraints—and proposes an evaluation framework stressing digital literacy, multi‑channel access, strong moderation and institutional support to make e‑participation substantively meaningful for policymaking
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02302-5_8
Post created by: Virginia Signorini