People & Participation Online

 Government Backs Online Citizen Revolution

People and Participation.net, a new radical resource to help people across the country influence Government decision-making, was launched by Involve today.  People and Participation.net features:

  • An interactive tool which helps those seeking to engage with the public to select participatory methods based on their specific circumstances.
  • A comprehensive methods database, covering over 30 traditional and innovative approaches to public participation from around the world.
  • A selection of case studies, showcasing good practice and allowing site users to post their own success stories to inspire others.
  • A section for site users to post their questions about participation. Involve staff will respond to these questions and thereby create an ever growing knowledge bank of answers to common queries. 
  • News and events information from the UK and beyond.
  • A comprehensive library of written and web-based resources from around the world to help site users make sense of public participation


    Involve built this interactive website with e-democracy pioneers Headshift. It is funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Justice and the Sustainable Development Commission.

    Henry Tam, Deputy Director, Community Empowerment Division, Department for Communities and Local Government said:
    “We are delighted to support PeopleandParticipation.net. I hope that it will provide a creative space where officials, councillors and citizens can share their success stories. Developing democratic practice isn't always easy and this resource can provide effective support to those people involved in the vital task of empowering citizens.”

    Clare Moriarty Director, Constitution Directorate, Ministry of Justice said:
    "Those working within government will increasingly need to involve the public, both on particular policies and on an ongoing basis. It is essential that they can draw on the pool of knowledge built up across government. People and Participation.net brings knowledge, resources and really practical help together and provides access to experts and case studies for anyone, including government officials to engage with the public."
     
    Involve’s director Richard Wilson said:
    ‘We are continually getting calls about amazing projects from across the country where citizens are working with government in new and imaginative ways that lead to impressive results. PeopleandParticipation.net has been designed to provide a platform to showcase all these new citizen empowerment initiatives across the UK. To demonstrate that change not only is possible, but is happening right now!”

    Archon Fung, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University said:
    ‘People and Participation.net brings together a vast array of information, experience, and expertise about the techniques of citizen participation in public decision-making. It is an invaluable Internet resource not only for public officials, participatory professionals, and active citizens. It will only grow more valuable as the site broadens and deepens through user contributions.’
     
    For further details:
    http://www.peopleandparticipation.net