One of the main challenges in this is overcoming ‘digital divides’ and varying levels of ‘digital literacy’ found across and within communities (Andreasson, 2019)
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Third approach is citizens’ juries, which is defined by Gooberman‐Hill, Horwood and Calnan et al (2008) as a method that ‘sit at the upper end of the Arnstein’s ladder.’ However, critics like Qvortrup (2007) think citizens’ juries were criticized that they can be manipulated in some degree and fail to genuinely reflect freely considered opinions of... See more
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Further to this, Afzalan and Muller (2018) highlight the costs involved in initiating digital methods as a key obstacle in increasing online participation
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as public cannot interact with the decision makers or planners. They call ‘focus groups’ as the ‘pseudo participation’, as citizens are regarded as the objects of research, who cannot actively participate in policy making process (Innes and Booher, 2000)
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It is more important than ever to work with established networks and advocates to reach traditionally excluded sections of society
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Smith (1983) argues that one of the key features of public participation is the ability to input the efforts and opinions of the citizens into the decision making within the planning system.
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As pointed out by one respondent from a community planning campaign, this digital format was particularly beneficial for those with disabilities. This also applies to less confident personalities who reported that the use of the chat function and the possibility of turning the camera off allowed them to feel less exposed when expressing their... See more
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The first approach is the public opinion surveys, as outlined in Table x. Since participants cannot have resources through structured access to enable them to make good decisions, such situations may lead to biases and misunderstandings that are almost impossible for resolution. This method also has its advantages, which lie in clarifying bases of... See more
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Afzalan and Mulle r (2018) conclude that issues around privacy, ethics, security and equity should still remain key considerations when exploring online participation.