As eParticipation moves into a more mature stage of research, we need to move from description and understanding to more rigorous evidence-based explanation of eParticipation in practice. Therefore this WP investigates the trends in eParticipation from different perspectives; government (administration and political), community based and technology. The reviews will deal with literature on different territorial levels of the e-participation experiences, and different political and social actors (initiatives from the institutions, form the civil society, from the media). The activities of WP14 will represent a further step in the building of an integrated knowledge basis for the eParticipation network and toward the building of common specific and new research instruments.
The main goals will be a set of focused reports, on the state of the art in the research fields (Demo-net Booklets and workshop proceedings), integrating national and disciplinary different approaches, and including a set of review of national relevant empirical works or policy documents, that are not available in English languages) and a set of methods developed to specifically address the field of eParticipation.
The activities of each Task are similar and parallel, being devoted to analyse theoretical, methodological approaches and their results for each of the identified research objects (political institutions and administrative bodies, civil society initiatives, the trend of technologies and of social and political transformation of participation).

Objectives

1. To investigate the issues and constraints of eParticipation from an administrative and political perspective, on the basis of a critical review of international and relevant national literature and policy documents.
2. To investigate the issues and constraints of eParticipation from a civil society perspective, on the basis of a critical review of international and relevant national literature not available in English.
3. To provide insight into the role of emerging technologies for eParticipation, on the basis of a critical review of international and eventually relevant national literature not available in English.
4. To provide insight into the social and political trends in eParticipation, on the basis of a critical review of international and eventually relevant national literature not available in English.