2. …some facts
Over 75 countries are using some form of petitioning system
78% of people living in Sweden have signed a petition,
72.6% in Switzerland,
72.5% in Canada,
70.4% in the US
68.2% in the UK World Values Survey (2006)
Preference for e-petitions, 6 million citizens across Europe supported
European Citizens Initiative - 70% online, Latvia e-petitions 6.5 million
online visits - 1st 100 days
Approximately 50% e-petitions qualify to be registered
E-petitions tend to attract younger demographic users
3. WHY E-PETITIONS?
One of several instruments in democracy’s toolbox
Collective action instrument + bottom-up political agenda setting
Enables citizens’ preference articulation “voice” & influence on
decision + policy-making processes
Stimulates debate + awareness on issues of public concern that would
not get attention otherwise
E-petitions new modality for civic participation, much wider
audience, transparent, convenient, built in civic education
Ukraine – Draft Law 2299 in progress…
4. … key features
Signature threshold 1 signature (Scotland) 50,000 (Finland),100,000 – (US
’We the people’), 1 million (EU Citizen Initiative)
Local level – signature thresholds = LOWER
Pre-moderation & Collection of Signatures time allowed
Multi-level, multi channel
Obligation for Institutional Responsiveness non vs. binding, time requirements
Opportunities for influence on Policy Making (Latvia, UK, Finland, ECI (slide)
Special features – “social lift”, involvement of NGOs
… jointly determine the ‘power’ of the instrument
5. …Policy Influence Effects
FINLAND …if 50,000 signatures directly to Parliament
GERMANY …if >50 000 signatures Commission Reviews –
recommends to Parliament, If <50 000 petitioner presents in Public
Hearing in Parliament
SWITZERLAND …if 100,000+ signatures national referendum and
possibility to vote on constitutional change
UK …if 100, 000 signatures consideration by Backbench Business
Committee (House of Commons)
City Manchester (UK) …cascading model: 100 – response in 6 days, 1000 –
debate by committee, 4000+ signatures debate in by full City Council.
7. US “We the People” (2011)
RESPONSE + APIs
13+Years old, email only, 100 000 signatures = response
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/how-why/api-gallery
8. Latvia (2011)
16+ years of age, via online banking ID, 10 000 signatures Parliament https://manabalss.lv
9. City of Birmingham, UK
Simple – active petitions, guidelines, terms and conditions, archive of non-active petitions
http://epetition.birmingham.public-i.tv/
10. City of Manchester, UK
INTEGRATED E-DEMOCRACY portal
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/councildemocracy
11. …successful petitions
MONTENEGRO
(2012) “Overcrowding of kinder gardens”
Response: The Government contracted €10m loan from the
Council of Europe Development Bank to build 7 new
kindergartens in 4 municipalities where overcrowding was most acute.
UK (2007) (1 million)
“Opposing new Vehicle tracking + Transport Tax policy” ….Tax seen as
unfair by citizens, if road tax then other subsidies, tax reductions on fuel
tax, vehicle excise duty to be instituted, roads to be improved
Response: Commission for inquiry established
12. … process
UNITED KINGDOM
8 weeks to develop – procurement, assembly
of the team, development, hosting solution &
deployment.
Cost £ 80,700 + 3-years of staff running costs
(£67 500 per annum).
System is maintained by in-house team of IT
developers in the Cabinet Office.
Built on open source software and
crowdsourcing to engage different parties in
problem solving techniques;
Reusable and made available to anyone in
the public sector, e.g. local governments.
MONTENEGRO
Donor initiated (Gov. of Montenegro + UNDP)
Cost 100,000 USD
Based on a mixed model (UK, US + Germany)
Technical solution - outsourced through open
procurement procedure
2 stage process – 1) web platform with link to
Central ID register + 2) digital certificates (110
EUR – expensive & later discontinued).
1 administrator + 1expert per ministry appointed
for processing and responding to e-petitions,
Each ministry responsible to pass on relevant e-
petitions to Government for response.
13. …challenges & lessons learned
Signature Authentication– different countries, different solutions
Scottland, UK cities – simple, postal code + duplication
Montenegro - Central ID register + Digital certificates, Latvia – 2 stage process)
UK(3 stage process) - postal code + automated words validation +
Australia – acceptance of conditions of use + random identification number + postal,
email address
Petition instrument to be volume tolerant pretesting is critical
E.g. (UK) 2+ million visitors, 12 million+ page views, 12,000 petitions raised, 700,000 signatures
collected, first petition of +/- 200,000 signatures in 5 days, at peak with 12 000 hits/ minute.
Ideally Open Source
Process and outcome as important as instrument
Back office & institutional coordination as important as interface
Involvement of NGOs critical for impactful e-petitions
14. E-Governance for Accountability
and Participation (EGAP)
4 years 2015-2019, 4 oblasts, 4 Components, 4 mil CHF
COMP 1 – E-Service Delivery
COMP 2 – Capacity Building
COMP 3 – E-Democracy
COMP 4 – National & Inter-
regional Policy Dialogue
