In early August, the second in-person meeting of the collaborative project "Success Factors of Local E-Participation," funded by the Mercator Foundation, took place in Düsseldorf. The gathering provided a productive opportunity to refine the next steps in the project and to delve deeper into key topics such as the questionnaire and the involvement of the scientific and practice advisory boards. In this blog post, we aim not only to highlight the substantive progress made during the meeting but also to express our gratitude to Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf for their hospitality, which facilitated the meeting in a pleasant atmosphere.
Design of the Questionnaire and Dashboard Integration
A key focus of the meeting was the final design of the questionnaire, which plays a fundamental role in the project. The questionnaire is intended not only as a tool for identifying success factors of local e-participation but also as the data foundation for the multimodal dashboard. This dashboard will allow us to present and analyze the collected data in a structured and visually accessible manner. It will serve as a platform for showcasing key findings and conducting flexible analyses. The data generated by the questionnaire will thus provide both a basis for analysis and entry points for deeper investigations into specific areas that may emerge as particularly relevant during the evaluation process.
The dashboard will integrate both quantitative and qualitative data, updating in real-time to provide comprehensive insights into the various dimensions of e-participation. This tool will be particularly valuable for the scientific and practice advisory boards, as it allows them to provide feedback on the questionnaire based on data collected during the pretest phase. This feedback will directly inform the further development of the questionnaire and the detailed planning of the dashboard, ensuring precise and practice-oriented data analysis and visualization.
After intensive discussions, November 2024 was set as the start date for the field phase. This phase will provide the foundation for the initial evaluations within the dashboard, which is scheduled to be developed by the end of the year. The advisory boards will review the questionnaire during a pretest phase to ensure that all relevant questions are covered and the data is optimally prepared for subsequent analyses. This close integration between the questionnaire and the dashboard will create a flexible, user-oriented platform for deeper analyses and insights.
Data Management Plan
Another important aspect of the meeting was the discussion about the Data-Management-Plan. The plan serves as a guideline for the secure collection, storage, and processing of the data gathered. Transparent data protection measures and communication strategies were discussed to inform participants about the security and intended use of the data. Data protection complies with GDPR regulations and constitutes a central element of our communication strategy.
Outlook and Acknowledgment
The further course of the project includes various meetings and milestones, such as the upcoming evaluation meetings for questionnaire testing and the advisory board meeting on September 19. We would particularly like to thank the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf for their hospitality and excellent organization, which ensured a smooth process.
With the agreements made and the milestones ahead, we look forward to the coming months with confidence. Our goal remains to thoroughly research the success factors of local e-participation and to develop practical recommendations that will strengthen citizen engagement in the long term.
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