What we learned from the Berlin launch of the Digital Democracy Accelerator
/By Melissa Zisengwe, program associate
What happens when you put Europe’s leading and next-generation innovators in digital policy and participatory democracy together in a room to find collective solutions to our most pressing digital issues?
Our goal was to find out when we hosted the first Digital Democracy Accelerator (DDA) cohort at a two-day workshop in Berlin, Germany. The workshop was planned and hosted in partnership with Bertelsmann Stiftung, and supported by Open Society Foundations.
The DDA cohort of 12 European organizations includes participants from the civil society and non-governmental space, academia, government, and the private sector. The workshop was an opportunity to bring together program participants, digital policy and participatory democracy experts, program partners, and other interested allies to explore key issues in digital policy and the use of participatory democracy methods to shape digital policy in Europe.
Key Highlights
Check some highlights of the themes that permeated our discussions below. You can also learn about additional workshop highlights from one of our DDA committee members, Valentin Chaput.
“Surely, we should not allow the tech monopoly to make tech policies by themselves” - Reema Patel, Ipsos
1. We need more people-centered digital policy
As a main goal for the convening, DDA participants discussed the key aspects of digital policies that can (and should) benefit from public participation.
To kick off the sessions, expert committee members Reema Patel (Ipsos) and Annie Cook (Deciding Matters) invited the group to explore the intersection of digital policy and participatory democracy.
Experts opened the discussion on policy-making cultures and challenges in the European context and participatory democracy approaches that can be used to address issues, such as participatory budgeting, citizen's assemblies, participatory policymaking and legislative theater. Participants shared current challenges in their contexts and countries. Some of the debated topics were Germany’s conservative structures and impediments to civic participation, the lack of inclusion of the youth in policymaking processes in Romania, Poland’s financial constraints and Spain’s lack of trust from the public.
The workshop provided a space for participants to explore key issues in digital policy and the use of participatory democracy methods in their local and regional contexts. Most importantly, they used the space to identify and share innovative and effective practices for public-led policymaking on digital policy.
2. Social justice is a relevant and much-needed lens for digital policy
What is the role of social justice in the designing and implementation of deliberative and participatory programs for digital policies? Accelerating digitization has significantly exacerbated existing social inequalities and created new forms of marginalization and discrimination. Reema Patel detailed the history of digital injustice and how this affects marginalized communities who are often left out of digital policymaking decisions. “Digital policies have a long history of oppressions and oppressive practice especially for those with intersectional identities,” Reema Patel. Therefore, as DDA participants design their action plans for just, equitable and inclusive programs for digital policies, it is important that they consider intersectionality, and ensure that social justice remains central in their digital policy programs.
In the context of the DDA, social justice emerges as an embedded, multifaceted approach that participants should adopt to ensure that their projects are designed and implemented to address biased and discriminatory structures and systems. Working with expert committee member, Reema Patel, participants reflected on how their projects can provide opportunities for underrepresented groups (across gender, racial, class and other identities) to engage and share their opinions, knowledge, and expertise in the development and implementation of digital policies.
3. Digital policymaking needs action-oriented and collaborative work
With a mix of practical and conceptual knowledge, some participants questioned whether some of the conceptual themes shared during the workshop, such as the policy cycle, are perhaps, ‘too idealistic’. And some wondered how to apply the social justice lens to their projects. Our expert committee (see picture below) eagerly engaged participants and guided them through the discussions. This allowed a more personalized and immersive learning experience for program participants.
Overall, the workshop provided a valuable forum for discussing the challenges and opportunities of using digital technologies to promote civic participation and democratic decision-making. Participants from different sectors came together to share their insights and perspectives, and to develop ideas for how to create a more inclusive and deliberative digital democracy.
Our experts: left/top - Reema Patel, Ipsos; On the right/bottom - Tomáš Rákos, Participation Factory; Domenico Di Siena, Demsoc; Annie Cook, Deciding Matters; Valentin Chaput, Open Source Politics; Jon Stever, Innovation for Policy Foundation
4. Regional community-building means engaging expert and novice knowledge
There was constant and direct exchange between participants and experts throughout the two days. For the expert committee members, this workshop enabled them to explore their mentees’ action plan ideas and further assist them in refining their ideas and aligning them with the program goals. In each session and activity, the experts and PP team enabled the participants to share their action plan ideas, contexts and challenges, enabling them to receive hands-on feedback and valuable insights for their projects.
Based on the discussions during the workshop and with their mentors, the cohort participants will now focus on developing their action plans on various digital issues, including disinformation in vulnerable communities, AI development and governance, development of open source software in government, open data, data privacy, adaption, and use of AI in educational settings.
While their focus areas may differ, the workshop enabled them to build community, discuss and explore together how they can design, and launch participatory programs to develop policies to govern digital technology in their contexts. By the end of the Berlin convening, participants received models, strategies, resources, and ideas to develop and implement projects for digital policy issues.
Learn more about the expert committee and current cohort.
5. In-person connection supports fruitful and intensive learning goals for organizations
While virtual engagements are great to include people of different countries, languages and time zones, the combination of in-person content and networking activities, plenary, and group discussions allowed full and intentional engagement and interaction from all participants. Participants shared materials and resources, challenges, tips, and background stories, bonded over dream holidays, and, most importantly, requested to stay in contact to continue building a broader regional and global community working at the intersection of digital policy and participatory democracy.
From now until March 2024, the 12 DDA participants will develop their personalized Participation Playbook action plans based on the discussions and inputs gathered in Berlin and the further DDA program support. With the help of their assigned mentorship, self-paced and live sessions, peer-learning opportunities and implementation grant support, this cohort will soon launch or improve digital policies in Europe by expanding public participation.
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