TAB

TA-PROJECT

Scientific evaluation and monitoring of the pilot project »Public Petitions«


Context, central thematic aspects

The Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag launched a two-year public petition pilot scheme in September 2005. Public petitions can be submitted via the Internet, published in the World Wide Web, signed by other interested citizens as well as discussed in an electronic forum. The function of adding signatures as well as that of expressing opinions in the discussion forum is well used, sometimes by thousands of citizens. Looking after public petitions has led to new tasks for the employees of the German Bundestag. There have also been problems with the software used (operability for the petitioners, costs for system supervision, among other things).

The Petitions Committee requires – to support its decision on the continuation of public petitions, scheduled for summer 2007 – a methodically secure, independent scientific evaluation of the existing public petitions pilot scheme.

Key questions, approach

The goal of a corresponding TAB study will be to address the Petitions Committee’s concrete need for consultation, and thereby to make a contribution to improving the existing system of public petitions. In addition, relevant, comprehensive TA questions will be dealt with concerning

  • the suitability of the technical-organisational solution (e.g. in the sense of an integration of the system into the existing work processes or for the ascertainment of the identity of the petitioners within the scope of public petitions),
  • the reaction of technological innovation to the existing systems (e.g. relating to a change of the individual petition procedure into an instrument for organised groups and lobbyists),
  • the observation of costs and benefits (e.g. with reference to the costs for moderation and evaluation of the forum discussions, the standard of the discussions and their benefit in petitions procedures for the Petitions Committee) as well as
  • the consideration of unintentional consequences (e.g. misuse of the system, discrimination of population groups which are unfamiliar with the Internet).

    • To achieve these goals the following work stages will be carried out after consultation with the Petitions Committee:

    1.   STRENGTHS-WEAKNESSES ANALYSIS OF THE »PUBLIC PETITIONS« PILOT SCHEME

    a) Actual analysis

    The actual analysis aims to record the benefits of the existing system with its strengths and weaknesses. In particular this requires interviewing the actors involved: a) Bundestag administration / Committee secretariat, b) Members of Parliament, c) Petitioners, d) the public, possibly supplemented by other survey methods.

    b) Comparison of existing »forum systems«

    The public petitions system component which makes the public discussion of a petition in the Internet possible (»Forum«) is central to the Petitions Committee’s need for consultation. Market research of such forum systems should provide information about the »state of the art« and contribute to defining system requirements (»system specification«).

    c) Requirements catalogue

    The results of the activities at a) and b) flow into a requirements catalogue for a technical-organisational system of public petitions for the German Bundestag, which should support the corresponding decision to be made by the Petitions Committee.

    2.   INTEGRATION OF THE »PUBLIC PETITIONS« PILOT SCHEME

    The following should be carried out in the course of this work:

    • an evaluation of national and international experience as well as the scientific intelligence in the field of »eDemocracy« (and especially »eParliament«), in so far as these are relevant to the case in hand;
    • a review of international experience with electronic and public petitions as well as the political and scientific discussions relating to them.

    3.   ACCOMPANYING ANALYSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTORY PROCESS

    The development and introductory process which will begin following a decision by the Petitions Committee to continue the public petitions, should be scientifically accompanied to monitor the success of the measures planned, and where necessary to carry out modifications and optimisations of the technical-organisational system. Among other things, further interviews with the actors involved are planned to achieve this – in the sense of a before and after comparison.

    The chronological succession and arrangement of the work stages is to be carried out in close cooperation with the committee initiating the topic.

    Completion: March 2008

    Contact

    Ulrich Riehm
    riehm@itas.fzk.de
    Fon 030/28491-105

    Christopher Coenen
    coenen@tab.fzk.de
    Fon 030/28491-116

    ISI: Dr. Ralf Lindner
    ralf.lindner@isi.fraunhofer.de
    Fon 0721/6809-292

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    Stand: Oktober 2006