Tocqueville in Cyberspace: Using the Internet for Citizen Associations

Political theorists like Alexis de Tocqueville have long recognized the importance of citizen associations for the practice of democracy. Through participation in associations, citizens both receive an education in public affairs and create centers of political power independent of the state. Essential to participation in an association is participation in a forum, a communication space that allows for many-to-many communication in which citizens can "treat of public affairs in public" (Tocqueville, 1945, p. 109). Participation in forums suffers from numerous barriers, however, such as the need to meet in one common place, the need to meet at one common time, and the potentially high costs of participation. Online forums on the Internet avoid many of these barriers, and thus they hold the promise of facilitating the formation and operation of citizen associations. This was confirmed in 1995 by the experiences of a Boston-based citizen association, the Telecommunication Policy Roundtable-Northeast (TPR-NE). TPR-NE's uses of the Internet suggest that online forums may allow associations to be more responsive, more robust, and able to unite more members.     

Investigating context factors in citizen participation strategies: A comparative analysis of Swedish and Belgian smart cities

Modern cities currently face numerous challenges related to mobility, waste management, access to resources, etc. Smart Cities integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) to develop innovative solutions that can solve such challenges and create a higher quality of life for their citizens. Two elements need to be considered for smart cities to be successful. First, citizens must participate in the design of the smart city to take advantage of their ideas so that the smart city answers their real needs. Secondly, each city has its own unique characteristics that need to be considered to design a citizen participation strategy truly tailored and adapted to their respective context. In line with these two considerations, the goal of this paper is to identify the context factors that impact citizen participation strategies in smart cities. In order to reach that goal, we performed a qualitative case study of two cities that strive to be smart: Namur (Belgium) and Linköping (Sweden). This analysis allows us to understand how participation is implemented in two different cases and to infer the context factors that impact the respective strategies. Five context-factors have been identified in this study: the smart city consideration, the drivers for participation, the degree of centralization, the legal requirements, and the citizens’ characteristics. By identifying these factors, we can derive context-dependent recommendations about citizen participation for smart cities. These recommendations are then applied to the case of Brussels in Belgium.     

Designing Deliberation Systems

In a liberal democracy, the evolution of political agendas and formation of policy involves deliberation: serious consideration of political issues. Modern-day political participation is dependent on widespread deliberation supported by information and communication technologies, which also offer the potential to revitalize and transform citizen engagement in democracy. Although the majority of Web 2.0 systems enable these discourses to some extent, government institutions commission and manage specialized deliberation systems (information systems designed to support participative discourse) intended to promote citizen engagement. The most common examples of these are political discussion forums. Although usually considered trivial adaptations of well-known technologies, these types of deliberative systems are often unsuccessful, and present a distinct set of design and management challenges. In this article, the authors analyze the issues involved in establishing political deliberation systems under four headings: stakeholder engagement, Web platform design, service management, political process reshaping, and evaluation and improvement. We review the existing literature and present a longitudinal case study: the Norwegian Demokratitorget (Democracy Square). We define key issues in each of the four areas, which need to be understood to design and manage a successful net-based deliberation forum.     

Engendering Democratic Participation via the Net: Access,Voice, and Dialogue

Information technology in the form of the Internet and its commercial offspring (referred to in this article collectively as the Net) has received much attention as a vehicle to increase political participation. In this article, we explore the potential of the Net, a vast, loosely coupled system of electronic forums, for facilitating and hindering democratic participation. In so doing, we identify five assumptions that undergird the claim that the Net will enhance democratic participation and suggest that increased democratic participation rests on three fundamental characteristics: access, voice, and dialogue. In order for this network of electronic forums to facilitate democratic participation, educational, economic, and cultural barriers to access, voice, and dialogue must be overcome. The final part of this article raises additional challenges to realizing democracy via the Net.     

Engendering Democratic Participation via the Net: Access, Voice, and Dialogue

Information technology in the form of the Internet and its commercial offspring (referred to in this article collectively as the Net) has received much attention as a vehicle to increase political participation. In this article, we explore the potential of the Net, a vast, loosely coupled system of electronic forums, for facilitating and hindering democratic participation. In so doing, we identify five assumptions that undergird the claim that the Net will enhance democratic participation and suggest that increased democratic participation rests on three fundamental characteristics: access, voice, and dialogue. In order for this network of electronic forums to facilitate democratic participation, educational, economic, and cultural barriers to access, voice, and dialogue must be overcome. The final part of this article raises additional challenges to realizing democracy via the Net.     

我国网上公共领域的特点研究

我国网民的网上活动已经进入了公共领域阶段,网民通过在虚拟社区论坛等网上公共领域发表言论,形成网络舆论,进而影响现实社会决策.本文通过对厦门PX事件的分析,揭示了我国网上公共领域呈现的精英化结构特征、政府高层积极参与以及现实公共领域和网上公共领域相融合的三大特点.     

论居民的文化权利在社区的实现

公民社会的兴起是中国社会发展的必然。社区是社会的基本单元,公民文化权利的实现很多是通过社区来完成的。要通过社区文化的建设,引导群众改变生活方式,积极参与文明健康的文体活动。政府应从宏观上管理公共事务,确立总体目标是使最大多数的公民得到服务,保障公民的基本权利。社区文化服务的社会化、文化管理的人性化、文化认同的公共化、文化投入的法定化以及文化评价的公众化是各级政府的职责和义务范畴,是文化体制改革不可或缺的一个重要目标。     

电子公共服务公众参与度的实证分析

按照公众参与公共服务的模型及公众参与电子公共服务的机制及过程,从政府网站和公众两个方面作了调查研究,分析目前政府网站的建设现状、公众对政府网站的参与程度及对政府网站所提供的服务的满意度,总结了存在的问题,并给出了提高公众参与程度的建议.     

从公民新闻发展看新闻自由与社会控制的平衡

公民新闻的最大特征是非专业的普通公民通过网络平台参与新闻传播,它解构了媒介＂把关人＂理论,为公民话语权的实现提供了一条可行的现实途径。它的出现对于新闻自由摆脱现实困境具有重要意义,但它的良性发展还需依靠社会的控制,公民新闻要在两者的博弈中平衡发展。     

为了科学,还是为了公众?——论公众科学的两种进路

自20世纪90年代中期以来,“公众科学”的概念逐渐受到学界关注并形成了一个新的研究领域,但目前学界对于“公众科学”的内涵仍没有共识。为此本文追溯了实践进路和政治进路两种不同内涵的公众科学的源起、内容与影响,并对两种公众科学的形成背景、理论预设、政策影响等方面的差异进行了系统比较;同时阐述了已有研究对于融合两种公众科学进路的尝试。最后,文章提出公众科学是一种以公众为主体的新知识生产方式,并结合国内公众科学情况提出了几点发展建议。     

政务微信对传统政务模式的改造研究——以“广州公安”政务微信为例

随着微信的广泛使用,政府也顺应科技进步,提出了政务微信这种新型服务模式。本文首先对政务微信产生的原因进行了总结;其次以"广州公安"政务微信平台为例,从行政业务流程、与公众沟通方式、提供服务方式和工作透明度4个方面对政府提供公共服务模式的差异进行了分析;最后总结出政务微信虽和其他公共服务模式相比,存在一定的优势,但在实际应用过程中仍然存在不足,所以,本文最后对完善政务微信提出了一些建议。     

Understanding how the expression of online citizen petitions influences the government responses in China: An empirical study with automatic text analytics

Online participation is an important tool for citizens to express their demands, and it is essential for government agencies to respond to public petitions on time and effectively. However, few studies have focused on the rich textual characteristics within the expression of citizen petitions and the effects on the efficiency of government responses as well as response outcomes. In this study, we construct a theoretical model to explain how sentiments, fields, and detailed contents of online petitions influence the timeliness and text length of the corresponding government responses on the basis of discourse theory and government pressure theory. Using the data on the online petition platform of one provincial government in China, textual features are automatically extracted through text analysis techniques. Multiple regression models are employed with a heterogeneity analysis to examine the model. The results show that more negative sentiments, public interest, and detailed contents in the petitions will impede the timeliness of the corresponding responses and bring about longer responses since such petitions are usually complex and hard to address. These findings help better understand the hidden mechanisms of the interaction between governments and citizens, providing theoretical and practical implications.     

Geo-Policy Barriers and Rural Internet Access: The Regulatory Role in Constructing the Digital Divide

A combination of geography, public policy, and commercial investment in information infrastructure combines to create geo-policy barriers that in turn structure the ability of rural citizens to access the Internet. A statistical study of 208 rural telephone exchanges in Texas combined with case studies from rural counties explores the impact of distance and policies aimed at enabling rural telephone connection on the presence of Internet service providers. Market territories, including exchange areas and LATAs, and the distance requirements of expanded local calling policy in Texas can both help and hinder Internet access in remote areas.     

Geo-Policy Barriers and Rural Internet Access: The Regulatory Role in Constructing the Digital Divide

A combination of geography, public policy, and commercial investment in information infrastructure combines to create geo-policy barriers that in turn structure the ability of rural citizens to access the Internet. A statistical study of 208 rural telephone exchanges in Texas combined with case studies from rural counties explores the impact of distance and policies aimed at enabling rural telephone connection on the presence of Internet service providers. Market territories, including exchange areas and LATAs, and the distance requirements of expanded local calling policy in Texas can both help and hinder Internet access in remote areas.     

大众网络健康信息搜寻行为研究综述

大众通过网络搜寻健康信息逐步成为获取信息的主要途径。本文对国内外学者关于网络健康信息搜寻行为的文献进行收集和整理,对大众网络健康信息搜寻行为的研究方法、渠道、类型、障碍及影响因素等方面进行研究,利于针对性地为相关部门满足人们的健康信息需求提出参考,提高大众网络健康信息搜寻的效率和满意度,同时为我国学界相关研究提出展望。     

发挥图书馆公共空间社会价值的初探

公共图书馆是满足公民基本文化权益,完善公共文化服务体系的重要载体,定位为公共空间的图书馆,通过丰富其内涵,拓展服务领域,提升服务能力,更多挖掘出图书馆作为公共空间的社会价值,更好地满足公民文化权益,实现文化成果全民共享。     

Group Behavior and Learning in Electronic Forums: A Sociotechnical Approach

The term community is widely and often uncritically used to characterize groupings of people who meet in electronic forums (e-forums). The research reported here shows how the casual use of the term community to characterize these groups can actually undermine their transformation into forms of social organization that are justifiably characterized as communities. This article examines how transforming a group into a community is a major accomplishment that requires special processes and practices. Primary data come from a particular project, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), that aimed to develop "communities of practice" (CoPs) among high school science and mathematics teachers through an elaborate dedicated web site. We examine participants' behaviors in some of the differently structured forums within the ILF web site. While the project's developers expected CoPs to develop autonomously, there was no evidence of CoP formation in open public online forums. The article contrasts two approaches to building online communities that differ sharply: "IT-led community development" and "IT-supported community development." The experience of the ILF project shows that IT-led strategies community development strategies are much more difficult to make workable than are the "IT-supported" strategies.     

多维审视公益精神的价值意蕴

公益精神是公益主体对社会弱势群体或人类的共同发展而表现出的慈善意识,是个人情感与良知的真实反映,是个人对生命价值、社会、人类和生命观的一种积极态度.公益精神的价值蕴涵于“个体自身发展”的内在价值以及对“社会发展”的外在价值两个维度.在公益精神动力驱动下,公益行动者在所参与的公益活动和团队中实现自身的意义价值和理想目标,获得自身德性的提高和自我的全面发展,并实现互助互济.公益行动者对社会弱势群体的关注和帮助,在社会救助、社会志愿活动中自愿捐钱捐物捐时间所表现的公民意识,从而促进社会的和谐进步和文明发展.而作为社会重要公民角色的企业,在承担社会的公益活动时所体现的社会责任意识,都成为公益精神的重要价值.     

科学家参与科学传播:价值、关系与能力提升

科学家是科学信息的重要来源,是科学知识、科学方法和科学精神的发现者和创建者,在传播准确信息、避免科学谬误方面起到了至关重要的作用,因此,其参与科学传播的情况具有重要的研究价值。然而无论是从行动还是从效果而言,科学家参与科学传播一直存在着多方面的障碍和问题。本文以科学传播领域近年国际研究进展为参照,对比我国科学家的现实状况,从科学家参与科学传播的驱动因素、与公众和社交媒体的互动关系以及科学传播能力培训情况这三个方面出发,对科学家参与科学传播的研究图景展开分析与评述。结果显示,在驱动价值层面,社会责任感、乐趣驱动等内在因素以及社会认可度、群体归属意义等外部激励因素共同作用于科学家参与科学传播活动的结果,但总体看来,时间和经费有限、缺乏同事支持以及科学传播评估体系的不健全等因素都是不可忽视的阻碍,科学家参与科学传播还需要强有力的科技管理体制予以支持;在互动关系层面,科学家通过与公众和社交媒体的互动来传播科学,科学家的知名度、可信任度、权威性、传播风格、公众感知关系等是影响公众对科学认知的重要因素,然而,尽管科学家主动尝试改善与公众的互动关系并取得一定成效,但与媒体的分歧和缺乏默契配合也让他们的科学传播努力显得势单力薄;在能力提升层面,相关科学培训项目特别是源自于美洲的培训推动着科学家来提升自身进行科学传播技能,但是一方面,这些项目的效果评估缺乏统一有效的标准,因而争议不断;另一方面,学者多是将项目培训师的观点、背景及培训方法联系起来进行定性分析讨论,未来有待于在参与动机、影响因素以及培训效果方面进行更多的实证研究。在此背景下,我国的科学传播工作更显艰难、相关的研究进展也更为滞后。因此,建立详细可行的支持政策、划分科学传播实践对科研事业的贡献比重、打造系统化的科学能力培训项目都是助力我国科学家提升科学传播能力和效率的重要途径。总之,立足国际视野下科学家参与科学传播的整体面貌,找寻其面临的阻碍和存在的短板,将为改善我国的科学传播现状提供现实启发和借鉴。