The future of digital citizen participation
Digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and the modernisation of public administration are fundamentally changing the ways in which citizens can participate in political decision-making. At the same time, many local authorities are faced with the question of how successful digitalisation initiatives – particularly those arising from smart city pilot projects – can be developed sustainably.
Through this stakeholder dialogue, the organisers of this event aim to bring together representatives from local government, academia and civil society to discuss current developments and jointly develop future prospects for digital citizen participation.
The focus will be on questions such as:
- What new forms of interaction between the state and citizens are emerging as a result of digitalisation?
- How can AI meaningfully support democratic participation and decision-making processes – and where are the limits?
- How can the modernisation of public administration be shaped in a way that is participatory and promotes democracy?
- How can local authorities safeguard and further develop their experiences and innovations in the long term?
The event offers insights from research and practice, a panel discussion and interactive workshops and is aimed at stakeholders from local government and politics, academia, participatory practice, as well as Open Government and Civic Tech.
The workshop is being organised jointly by the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum and the Science Campus NRW (WICA) in Oberhausen.