The Communities of Practice model for understanding digital engagement by hyperlocal elected representatives

Cruickshank, Peter; Ryan, Bruce

Abstract

There has been much research into citizens’ engagement with their representatives. This paper offers an approach to understanding sustained take-up of internet technologies by these representatives in a (hyperlocal) democratic context using Community Councils in Scotland a case study. A Community of Practice model was developed and initial data collected to evaluate whether the model can be adapted for contexts where community boundaries are not clear. The focus is the community of users of technology: representatives as primary content creators as a necessary first stage before higher levels of engagement and participation are possible. The CoP model is found to have potential, even in a context of weak, dispersed and non-self-aware communities. The importance of understanding transitions and level of engagement is highlighted and another avenue for further research identified.

Citation

Cruickshank, P., & Ryan, B. (2016). The Communities of Practice model for understanding digital engagement by hyperlocal elected representatives. In E. Tambouris, H. Jochen Scholl, M. Janssen, M. A. Wimmer, K. Tarabanis, M. Gascó, …Ø. Sæbø (Eds.), Electronic Government and Electronic Participation (11-18). https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-570-8-11

• Conference Name: IFIP EGOV and ePart 2015
• Conference Location: Thessalonki, Greece
• Start Date: Sep 5, 2016
• End Date: Sep 8, 2016
• Acceptance Date: May 20, 2015
• Publication Date: 2016
• Deposit Date: Oct 20, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 11, 2019
• Publisher: IOS Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Pages: 11-18
• Series Title: Innovation and the Public Sector
• Series ISSN: 1871-1073
• Book Title: Electronic Government and Electronic Participation
• ISBN: 9781614995692
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-570-8-11
• Keywords: Community Councils; Scotland; Community of Practice; engagement
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9132
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-570-8-11
• Additional Information: We are grateful to the RCUK-funded Communities & Culture Network; (http://www.communitiesandculture.org) for funding the pilot study described here.