The Trade Union E-Voting Impasse in The UK
The impasse surrounding electronic voting in trade unions in the UK presents a complex situation with implications for democracy, workers' rights, and government influence. Despite the potential benefits to union inclusiveness, a government-commissioned review recommended implementing a pilot program given potential security risks. However, the government has yet to respond formally to the policy review on electronic balloting, even though it was published in 2017.
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Saving Civics in The Digital Age
The Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE) was founded to promote technologies that support citizen participation, activism, and citizen-centered public services. As part of Barcelona’s European Capital of Democracy programme year, they hosted a workshop entitled “Savings Civics in the Digital Age” event on 22 November.
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Brazil’s Participatory Pluriannual Plan
This year saw the initiation of Brasil Participativo, a digital platform provided by Decidim which enables citizens to shape and improve public policies. The first participatory process to use it was the Participatory Plurianual Plan, which gave Brazilians the opportunity to cast votes and set policy priorities at the federal level for the next four years.
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​​Bottom-Up or Top-Down Participation? The Case of Peru
Participatory platforms are increasingly being mandated by governments instead of organically emerging from social movements. The case of Peru shows that top-down implementations can have positive results in terms of improved public services and citizen well-being. Nonetheless, bottom-up participation remains crucial to ensure sustained engagement.
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Preventing Green Backlashes
The recent ULEZ protests in London were just the latest in a series of backlashes against new climate policies. Green participatory platforms could be the key to ensuring that new measures are fair and meet with widespread public approval.
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How E-Voting Can Boost Political Responsiveness
Whether we vote manually or using voting machines may seem like a purely formal matter. Yet the case of Brazil demonstrates how a voting system can actually improve citizens’ well-being through higher and more equal political participation.
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