摘要 :
Online policy deliberation forums (OPDFs) have been increasingly initiated by governments to allow citizens to provide their input and discuss policy issues. Yet, failure to garner participation, in terms of both quantity and qual...
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Online policy deliberation forums (OPDFs) have been increasingly initiated by governments to allow citizens to provide their input and discuss policy issues. Yet, failure to garner participation, in terms of both quantity and quality, prevents the realization of their benefits. In this regard, prior research has suggested different antecedents for the quantity and quality of participation in online forums, but without systematically considering their differences. To address this research gap, in this study we develop a theoretical model to explain the antecedents of quantity and quality of OPDF participation and test the model using a survey and content analysis of forum logs. The results indicate that quantity of participation is enhanced by the information-technology-enabled resource factor of communality but negatively influenced by collective incentives. In contrast, the antecedents of the quality of participation include both motivational and resource factors. Furthermore, communality accentuates the perceived collective incentives and persuasion benefit of participation. This study contributes to the research by proposing and testing a theoretical model that explains the different antecedents of the quantity and quality of participation in OPDFs. More broadly, the findings inform research and practice on how outcomes of web-enabled cocreation, such as those generated through OPDF participation, can be evaluated and enhanced in these online communities.
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摘要 :
Organizations are setting up online forums to obtain inputs and feedback from key stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and citizens. Examples of such virtual spaces are online policy deliberation forums (OPDFs) initiated by...
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Organizations are setting up online forums to obtain inputs and feedback from key stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and citizens. Examples of such virtual spaces are online policy deliberation forums (OPDFs) initiated by government organizations to garner citizens' views on policy issues. Incorporating the inputs from these forums can result in more inclusive policies for societal benefit. Yet, as with other such forums, a common issue facing OPDFs is the sustainability of participation. When examining this issue, previous research has mostly explored the participation antecedents of existing contributors. However, engaging lurkers is also important, because these forums need to compensate for contributor attrition and become more effective with greater reach. Thus motivated, this study develops a model to explain the antecedents of both contributors' and lurkers' participation deriving from public participation and information technology-enabled public goods theories. It hypothesizes differences in the antecedents for contributors versus lurkers based primarily on construal level theory. The model was empirically validated through a survey of contributors and lurkers in a nationwide OPDF. The results reveal significant differences in the participation antecedents of the two groups as hypothesized. Specifically, contributors are influenced by political career benefit and political efficacy motives, whereas lurkers' future participation intention is driven by collective benefits, possession of civic skills, and mobilization. Furthermore, perceived connectivity of the OPDF directly influences participation intention for contributors and indirectly impacts participation intention for both groups via perceived communality. Perceived communality, on the other hand, influences collective and persuasion benefits for both contributors and lurkers. These findings are useful for understanding and promoting participation through differential strategies for contributors and lurkers in OPDFs in particular, and by extension, other feedback or online forums.
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This study examines divergent patterns of political discussion through a comparative analysis of 28 online forums, initiated by the European Commission as part of the 2009 European Citizens' Consultations. These forums shared the ...
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This study examines divergent patterns of political discussion through a comparative analysis of 28 online forums, initiated by the European Commission as part of the 2009 European Citizens' Consultations. These forums shared the same design (technological and process) and had the same connection to the policy process. Still, great divergences were apparent in the intensity of dis cussion between the forums. The aim of this article is to create an understanding of these divergences. A hypothetic deductive approach is first employed, investigating three hypotheses about favorable con ditions for political discussion grounded in prior studies and deliberative democratic theory. The results indicate that political discussions are more intense in forums where the level of consensus among par ticipants is low. Thereafter, a comparative case study is conducted of two forums in order to foster a deeper understanding of these results, which showed that a high level of consensus was created through efforts of organized groups to mobilize support for their positions. The results of the analyses make it evident that online political discussion must be studied and understood in relation to an actor-centered perspective investigating participants' strategies and conduct.
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There has been a growing concern regarding political disengagement among citizens within liberal western representative democracies. This concern has brought about calls for local political online forums to be used to support part...
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There has been a growing concern regarding political disengagement among citizens within liberal western representative democracies. This concern has brought about calls for local political online forums to be used to support participatory and deliberative democracy online to reverse this trend. However, little empirical investigation has been conducted into what such forums can support in terms of deliberative democracy. This paper, focusing solely on deliberation will answer the following question: Can local political online forums support all categories of deliberation? A two pronged methodological approach consisting of both a quantitative deductive method and a qualitative inductive method was used to examine this research question. This paper argues that within the literature deliberation falls into three main categories. However, another form of online discussion was identified as part of this empirical research named Cross Cutting Discussion.
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Internet discussion platforms in China provide a hugely interesting and relevant source for understanding dynamics of online discussions in a unique context. Adopting the theoretical lens of public deliberation, this paper investi...
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Internet discussion platforms in China provide a hugely interesting and relevant source for understanding dynamics of online discussions in a unique context. Adopting the theoretical lens of public deliberation, this paper investigates the evolution of patterns of similar-minded and different-minded interactions over time on a Chinese online discussion forum. We analyse the content and reply networks of 18,000+ messages on four highly debated topics on the Bulletin Board System (BBS) platform Tianya. Findings provide nuanced evidence to the phenomenon of increased network homophily over time, mitigated in discussions where the difference between opinion sides is smaller, and participants have positive opinions. Providing empirical foundation for testing and refining the tenets of public deliberation in the unique socio-cultural and institutional environment of China, this study lays ground for future investigation on independent variables for understanding dynamics of online discussions, and for studies comparing cases across different contexts.
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This article offers a hybrid rhetorical-qualitative discourse analysis of the FDA's 2011 Avastin Hearing, which considered the revocation of the breast cancer indication for the popular cancer drug Avastin. We explore the multipli...
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This article offers a hybrid rhetorical-qualitative discourse analysis of the FDA's 2011 Avastin Hearing, which considered the revocation of the breast cancer indication for the popular cancer drug Avastin. We explore the multiplicity of stakeholders, the questions that motivated deliberations, and the kinds of evidence presented during the hearing. Pairing our findings with contemporary scholarship in rhetorical stasis theory, Mol's (2002) construct of multiple ontologies, and Callon, Lascoumes, and Barthe's (2011) "hybrid forums," we demonstrate that the FDA's deliberative procedures elides various sources of evidence and the potential multiplicity of definitions for "clinical benefit." Our findings suggest that while the FDA invited multiple stakeholders to offer testimony, there are ways that the FDA might have more meaningfully incorporated public voices in the deliberative process. We conclude with suggestions for how a true hybrid forum might be deployed.
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This research aims to contribute to the theory and practice of e-participation, looking specifically at ways to enhance the deliberative quality of political discussions in online forums. Building on theories of information proces...
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This research aims to contribute to the theory and practice of e-participation, looking specifically at ways to enhance the deliberative quality of political discussions in online forums. Building on theories of information processing and social norms, we suggest that particular visual banners may be integrated in an online forum, and serve as cues that prime participants to think about the context as a place of public deliberation. In turn, we hypothesize that these cues would promote the deliberative quality of the discussion. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a controlled experiment where cues were integrated as visuals banners alongside the content of an online discussion forum. Content analysis of forum comments (N =476) included measures for reasoned opinion expression as well as indicators of listening and respecting others' opinions. Findings support the study's hypotheses that deliberative cues matter for online deliberation. We discuss the findings and outline directions for future research.
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This paper explores how Dutch councillors used an online forum that was established for communication between citizens and councillors. Councillor participation varied widely across parties and individuals. Councillors vary in the...
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This paper explores how Dutch councillors used an online forum that was established for communication between citizens and councillors. Councillor participation varied widely across parties and individuals. Councillors vary in their attitudes toward online communication with citizens. These differences are partly attributable to styles of representation. A research strategy based on speech act theory is used to identify these styles. Councillors have outspoken viewpoints concerning anonymity and tone. Personal competences to communicating with citizens effectively online are also important. The paper concludes by presenting a theoretical framework for explaining elected politicians' uses of online forums.
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This study focuses on comparing the quality of online deliberations that have the same deliberation process, concept and discussion topics but use different net-based technologies. For this, a web-based forum (WBF), a social netwo...
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This study focuses on comparing the quality of online deliberations that have the same deliberation process, concept and discussion topics but use different net-based technologies. For this, a web-based forum (WBF), a social networking site (SNS) and a 3D virtual world were chosen as research areas. Discussions regarding Turkey's public issues were examined by using the rationalistic and ethical criteria that come from the studies of Jürgen Habermas. Techniques of quantitative content analysis and survey were employed for data collection. Findings suggest that instead of actions that are oriented toward the common good, competitive actions directed towards success are more commonly observed. Although it is difficult to say which media is more qualified to support deliberative public discussions, the WBF stands out in terms of justification and reciprocity, whereas the 3D virtual environment Second Life stands out in terms of principles of discursive equality, reciprocity and respect.
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Local authorities increasingly employ digital platforms to facilitate public engagement in participatory budgeting processes. This creates opportunities for and challenges in synthesizing citizens' voices online in an iterated cyc...
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Local authorities increasingly employ digital platforms to facilitate public engagement in participatory budgeting processes. This creates opportunities for and challenges in synthesizing citizens' voices online in an iterated cycle, requiring a systematic tool to monitor democratic quality and produce formative feedback. In this paper, we demonstrate how cases of online deliberation can be compared longitudinally by using six Big Data-based, automated indicators of deliberative quality. Longitudinal comparison is a way of setting a reference point that helps practitioners, designers, and researchers of participatory processes to interpret analytics and evaluative findings in a meaningful way. By comparing the two rounds of OmaStadi, we found that the levels of participation remain low but that the continuity and responsiveness of online deliberation developed positively.
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