2.4. E-participation as a contingent and dynamic and complex social process

The underlying assumption of the sociotechnical researchers in the Napier group is that e-participation is a contingent and dynamic and complex social process; the group’s research focuses on ways in which technology supports this; both at the design stage in requirements negotiation; and in explanations of post-implementation adoption.

E-participation takes different shapes in different circumstances, and a further research focus is to examine the diverse sociotechnical arrangements that characterise the process. Many of the models of e-participation that have been proposed (e.g. stage models) depend on such understanding, though these have tended to focus on tools and to emphasise compliance with requirements negotiated at the design stage. Some of Napier’s research explores the development of, and the implications of a broader set of criteria that takes the long view, and positions e-participation in a wider set of societal trends.

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