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'Hyperlocal e-democracy'? The experience of Scotland's Community Councils.

Cruickshank, Peter; Ryan, Bruce; Smith, Colin F

Authors



Contributors

Peter Parycek
Editor

Noella Edelmann
Editor

Abstract

This paper is motivated by the need to understand the reality of the use of the now well-established opportunities offered by the internet to engage with citizens. Building on previous research this paper derives a framework tailored for evaluation of e-participation and internet usage by representative bodies at the community or hyperlocal level which was applied in a survey of the use of Scotland’s Community Councils (CCs). The survey found a generally low level of use and engagement with citizens with even the actually existing websites hosting one-way communication, with only a small minority hosting online discussion and opinion-gathering. A significant factor in the richness of contet is association with other local community groups. Findings are contextualised with reference to other European examples and research indicating a number of contributing factors. The report concludes by suggesting an agenda for further research.

Citation

Cruickshank, P., Ryan, B., & Smith, C. F. (2014). 'Hyperlocal e-democracy'? The experience of Scotland's Community Councils. In P. Parycek, & N. Edelmann (Eds.), CeDEM14 Proceedings (73-84)

Conference Name CeDEM14
Start Date May 21, 2014
End Date May 23, 2014
Publication Date 2014
Deposit Date Oct 6, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Pages 73-84
Book Title CeDEM14 Proceedings
ISBN 978-3-902505-35-4
Keywords representation; communication; internet; hyperlocal; e-participation; community;
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/7164

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