Research into digital democracy aims to provide valuable insights for improving civic participation
Digital society is transforming democracy. Digital technologies and the Internet are increasingly being used to support and improve democratic processes – known as digital democracy. Digital democracy means modern technologies’ potential to promote democratic values and practices as well as the use of digital media for political information and communication, political participation, elections, civic engagement, activism or advancing political education. To drive positive change, eleven European partners – including Paderborn University – have joined forces in the international, interdisciplinary EU research project INNOVADE (“INNOVAtive Democracy through digitalisation”). Digital democracy strives to increase civic participation in political processes, make political action more transparent, and simplify governmental and administrative processes. One of INNOVADE’s aims is therefore to develop a “Digital Democracy App” to help citizens engage with their local government, share their ideas, and make a real impact on decisions that affect their everyday lives.
The goal of the project is to better understand and promote digital democracy. A team at Paderborn University’s Department of Media Studies is playing a major role in INNOVADE: Prof. Dr. Christian Fuchs, head of the Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group, is responsible for conducting fundamental sociological research into digital democracy, alongside Dr. Banu Durdaǧ and research assistant Kevin Friesch. “INNOVADE will analyse the principles and opportunities for strengthening digital democracy as well as obstacles and risks. This highly topical project is addressing a key sociopolitical topic of today’s world,” says Fuchs about the Horizon Europe project. The European Union has been providing INNOVADE with around three million euros of funding since January for a period of three years. Horizon Europe is currently the EU’s primary funding programme for research and innovation.
Digital Democracy App to be tested in two municipalities
INNOVADE is a synergy between social and political research and technological development. Fuchs explains: “The foundational social science research will map out the principles and criteria of digital democracy, which can then be used as the design principles for a Digital Democracy App developed within the project.” The app will be tested in two municipalities – Geel in Belgium and San Martín de la Vega in Spain – and its local use will be scientifically analysed. As the two municipalities are participating as project partners, the transfer of the project’s findings on digital democracy to society is made possible. Pilot studies in both municipalities, experimenting with digital democracy on a local level, will be evaluated from a social science perspective. The pilot locations will provide valuable insights into how digital democracy tools could improve civic participation on a local level in the future.
“INNOVADE enables a unique collaboration between research, technology and local government. Our goal is to improve digital democracy in Europe. The strengthening of digital democracy is important in today’s world to counterbalance fake news, echo chambers, authoritarianism and post-truth politics online,” Fuchs notes.
Interdisciplinary project partners from Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain
The research conducted by Paderborn University’s research team is focusing on democratic theory, theories of digital democracy, and social research on digital democracy. The role of Fuchs’s team is to conduct foundational theoretical research and empirical social research into digital democracy. As well as Paderborn University, the project has another German partner in the form of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). From Belgium, the project includes the Brussels strategy group Beyond the Horizon, KU Leuven university, the company Hybrid Core, and the Geel municipal administration. The Italian partners are ICT Legal Consulting and Trust-IT plus its subsidiary COMMpla. These are joined in Spain by the Cibervoluntarios foundation and the San Martín de la Vega municipal administration. The project partners in the various countries will contribute their particular knowledge and experience. Overall, the project will be benefiting from interdisciplinary scientific expertise in the fields of Media and Communication Studies, Political Science and Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology, Computer Science, Privacy and Security Studies, Educational Science, and Legal Studies.
More information about INNOVADE can be found on the project website. Anyone interested can subscribe to the newsletter.
