A Multi-Method Evaluation of Different Models of Structured Electronic Consultation on Government Policies

Abstract

This article describes and evaluates two different models of structured electronic consultation, using multiple evaluation methods: discussion tree analysis, quantitative evaluation, and qualitative evaluation. The results indicate that structuring the electronic consultations leads to higher-quality focused debates, however, it can create participation difficulties and barriers to less-sophisticated and educated citizens, so it might result in reduced participation and exclusion of some groups. This can increase the “quality,” but at the same time decrease the “quantity” of e-participation.

Keywords:

• electronic participation (e-participation)
• electronic consultation (e-consultation)
• electronic forum (e-forum)
• issue-based information systems (IBIS)