Project description
Re-engaging citizens in the political process
The EU-funded DEMOTEC project will probe the role of participatory budgeting in fostering greater and more informed citizen participation in policymaking in a period of increased polarisation and alienation from the political process. DEMOTEC involves a multidisciplinary methodological approach, applying innovative methods including experiments, computational text analysis of big data, representative surveys, framing and discourse analysis and case studies in seven urban communities across Europe: Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Scotland. Ultimately, DEMOTEC aims to examine the determinants of effective citizen engagement, analyse different participatory budgeting processes and establish best methods in practice, leading to concrete policy recommendations at the European regional and urban levels.
Objective
DEMOTEC investigates the role of participatory budgeting in fostering greater and more informed citizen participation in policy-making and in engaging citizens that feel disconnected from political and policy processes. It focuses on citizen engagement in European regional and urban policies, combining in-depth research on participatory budgeting and mediated deliberation in the public sphere with real-world experiments. DEMOTEC will apply innovative methods in seven urban authorities from across Europe, including experiments, deliberative polling, computational text analysis of big data, representative surveys, framing and discourse analysis and case studies. It will provide novel theoretical and empirical findings on participatory budgeting and democratic decision-making, develop practical tools and capacity for practitioners, and produce timely policy recommendations at different government scales. DEMOTEC consists of an interdisciplinary and well-integrated consortium of academic, media and citizen engagement partners with expertise in political science, regional and urban studies, sociology, psychology, media and communication studies, and computer science. The Consortium places strong emphasis on the co-creation of democratic innovation and knowledge with policymakers and communication with a variety of stakeholders throughout the project, including public authorities at all territorial levels, journalists, civil society organisations and the general public.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.6. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Europe In A Changing World - Inclusive, Innovative And Reflective Societies Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.6.1.1. - The mechanisms to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
- H2020-EU.3.6.1.2. - Trusted organisations, practices, services and policies that are necessary to build resilient, inclusive, participatory, open and creative societies in Europe, in particular taking into account migration, integration and demographic change
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
H2020-SC6-GOVERNANCE-2018-2019-2020
See other projects for this callSub call
H2020-SC6-GOVERNANCE-2020
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
3036 Lemesos
Cyprus