Strengthening Citizen Participation with Digital Tools (NL0059)

Brief Description of the Commitment

The Work Agenda for Value-Driven Digitalization (Werkagenda Waardengedreven Digitaliseren) includes the commitment of the Dutch government to use and further develop AI-driven deliberation and consensus-building tools. The Cabinet aims to deploy such tools in at least three processes during its term for citizen participation.

Problem Definition

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address? • The Netherlands faces significant societal challenges that require efforts from the government, business sector, and citizens. The Dutch government has expressed the desire to actively involve citizens in several areas, including climate policy. In the Work Agenda for ValueDriven Digitalization (Werkagenda Waardengedreven Digitaliseren) released in November 2022, the Cabinet outlined its intention to utilize and further develop AI-driven digital tools for citizen consultation (eConsultation) and consensus-building in at least three processes. • Previous research has shown that citizen engagement through eConsultation can enhance the quality of government decision-making. By involving a diverse range of citizens in the policy-making process, the diversity of ideas and potential solutions is increased. eConsultation also provides governments with new opportunities to reach specific groups of citizens who might otherwise not participate in policymaking. • Furthermore, the use of eConsultation can enhance the legitimacy of policies. It can lead to governments being more open to and aware of the desires and preferences of society regarding specific policy areas and developments.

2. What are the causes of the problem? • When it comes to major societal issues, citizens don’t always feel heard, leading to societal discontent. However, the government currently lacks a consistent way to gather widespread feedback from the community on specific topics and listen to the input and ideas of its residents. • A citizen forum, for example, is a method to involve citizens’ perspectives in policy-making. To reach as many people as possible and enable effective participation, an e-consultation tool can be utilized, allowing citizens to engage and deliberate on the central topic of the citizen forum. • Therefore, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is seeking an AI-driven mass deliberation and consensus tool that meets the latest requirements regarding safety, privacy, and accessibility.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? • Some research has been conducted on potential solutions. The open-source platform Pol.is is an AI-driven e-consultation tool that can gather opinions on a specific issue and identify areas of consensus and disagreement. The tool is already being used in other countries, including Taiwan, New Zealand, and the United States. • Pol.is was first tested and implemented in 2020 through pilots in the Dutch municipalities of Groningen and Amsterdam. The pilots were the result of the project “Digital Deliberative Democracy in the Netherlands” by the partners Stichting Netwerk Democratie, Democratie in Actie, and the municipalities of Groningen and Amsterdam, with support from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). • While the tool is considered promising for organizing e-consultations, some shortcomings have been identified that warrant further development. • It is important to have a Dutch or European version of Pol.is. Currently hosted in the United States, this raises issues regarding compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming or AVG). • Furthermore, the open-source software is currently not sufficiently developed to be easily installed by government organizations. Finally, the UX design of Pol.is also requires improvement.

2. What solution are you proposing? • AI-driven tools for mass deliberation and consensus, such as Pol.is, provide an accessible platform where large groups of citizens and policymakers can make proposals, vote on them, and reflect on group input. • AI-driven tools for mass deliberation and consensus, such as Pol.is, provide an accessible platform where large groups of citizens and policymakers can make proposals, vote on them, and reflect on group input. • There are several ways in which a digital tool like Pol.is can complement a citizen forum and other offline forms of participation: - A. Before the citizen forum: Pol.is can be used to visualize different opinion groups. - B. During the citizen forum: Pol.is can be used to gain insights into citizens’ opinions on the input provided during the forum. - C. After the citizen forum: Pol.is can be used to collect citizens’ opinions on the outcomes of the forum and evaluate. • While e-consultation is currently seen by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) primarily as a complement to a citizen forum, the ministry has the ambition to explore whether Pol.is can also be used independently without a citizen forum. For example, Pol.is can be employed during policy development to gain an understanding of citizens’ diverse perspectives on a policy proposal.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? • The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) aims to further develop the Pol.is tool for national-level use. The tool should be open source and compliant with Web Accessibility Guidelines. The developed platform must prioritize security, privacy protection, and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). • Authentication should be implemented in a way that allows participants to easily join while preventing abuse by bots. A privacy-proof authentication method, where authentication is not traceable, is preferred. • In addition to providing open and accessible digital participation for everyone, participation on the platform should also be inclusive of a representative group. • Naast open en toegankelijke digitale participatie voor iedereen moet deelname aan het platform ook mogelijk zijn voor een representatieve groep. • Finally, it is desirable to have an up-to-date overview of existing digital participation possibilities within the government to ensure coherence and integration with the existing digital participation opportunities within the national government. This includes creating a landing page and overview of the different digital participation options available within the national government.

Commitment Analysis

1. How will the commitment promote transparency? The use of e-consultation tools enhances transparency of the government by enabling citizen participation in the policy-making process and ensuring that the desires and ideas of citizens are better reflected in policy-making.

2. How will the commitment help foster accountability? By gathering public opinions through e-consultation, citizens can hold government organizations accountable to ensure that their ideas and viewpoints are well-represented in policy-making.

3. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions? Thanks to e-consultation, citizens can directly participate in the policy-making process by digitally collecting and processing their perspectives.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date)

1. Basic Readiness of Polis.overheid.nl 2. Deployment/ Usage of Polis. overheid.nl e-consultation tools in three policy trajectories 3. Further Development of e-consultation tools | At least three opportunities will be provided for public input on policies using the Polis/participation and consensus platform. | 2025