Electronic Petitions and Institutional Modernization. International Parliamentary E-Petition Systems in Comparative Perspective

Authors

  • Ralf Lindner Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)
  • Ulrich Riehm Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament (TAB)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29379/jedem.v1i1.3

Keywords:

Electronic petitions, e-petitions, petitioning, e-democracy, e-participation, e-parliament, institutional reform, Scottish Parliament, Bundestag, German Federal Parliament, Parliament of Queensland, Norwegian municipalities

Abstract

Since 2000, a number of parliaments and governments have introduced electronic petitions systems (e-petitions). Compared to most other means of e-participation made available by public institutions, e-petitions have moved beyond the experimental stage and are characterized by a high level of institutionalization and procedural maturity. Hence, the field of e-petitioning is particularly promising if the relationship between public institutions and Internet-based participation channels is to be better understood. Based on empirical data generated in the research project "Public electronic petitions and civic involvement" conducted on behalf of the German Bundestag, the article undertakes an analysis of the e-petition systems of the Scottish Parliament, the Parliament of Queensland, the Bundestag and the Norwegian Municipalities in comparative perspective. Apart from presenting the systems’ main technical and procedural features and selected user statistics, the article attempts to explain the high attractiveness of e-petitions for parliaments and governments.

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Author Biographies

Ralf Lindner, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)

Senior scientist and project manager at the Department of Emerging Technologies, Fraunhofer ISI

Ulrich Riehm, Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament (TAB)

Senior scientist at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) and the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament (TAB)

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Published

04.09.2009

How to Cite

Lindner, R., & Riehm, U. (2009). Electronic Petitions and Institutional Modernization. International Parliamentary E-Petition Systems in Comparative Perspective. JeDEM - EJournal of EDemocracy and Open Government, 1(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.29379/jedem.v1i1.3

Issue

Section

Research Papers