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I want to measure the impacts of my initiative on governance… 
…by assessing its impact on participation 

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Aggregate indicator title

Participation dynamics 

Description

Who participates in the decision making process (via the citizen observatory) and how? 

Domain

Governance

Qualitative/Quantitative

Quantitative & Qualitative

Primary/Secondary data

Primary & Secondary data

Source of data

Primary: Project partners, participants

Secondary: Project documentations (reports, information on websites, publications etc.); Online repositories (e.g. Science Direct, Google Scholar, etc.)

Time series

Yes, ex ante and ex post

Unit of measurement (observation)

Absolute values & nominal

Unit of analysis

Stakeholder groups & publications 

Analytical level (logic model)

Context, input, process, output, outcome, impact

Links with indicators in other domains

Society 

Data collection method(s)

Interviews with members of the initiative and non-members stakeholders; review of project documentations (reports, log-books, etc.); analysis of the initiative tools (platforms, Apps, etc.); literature review

Data collection item(s)

Interview questions are available but too elaborate to add here

Geographic scope

  • Geographic scope of the issue in focus
  • Location of stakeholders (inside/outside the geographic boundaries)

Participant groups

  • Demographic characteristics of the population
  • Composition of stakeholders involved in decision making process in focus of initiative

Efforts required to participate

  • Time (hours/month) required for participation
  • Equipment required for participation
  • Infrastructure required for participation
  • Knowledge required for participation
  • Skills required for participation
  • Investment required for participation; capital (€) and long term (€/month)

Support offered for participation

  • Type of material support provided for participants (e.g. manuals, instructions, training, sensor devices, etc.)
  • Perception of the users about the flexibility of the participation methods
  • Type of incentives offered to encourage different participant groups

Communication paradigm

  • Channels of data and information flow between different stakeholders
  • The pattern of information flow ('unidirectional', 'bi-directional' and 'interactive') between different stakeholders

Communication and decision mode

  • Mechanisms for stakeholder interactions in decision making process-es (e.g. data provision, expressing preferences, deliberation and negotiation, etc.)

Impact indicators

  • Change in percentage of population who believe decision-making at all levels is inclusive and responsive
  • Change in participation in political processes and civic engagement at local level
  • Change in proportion of public funds allocated to public participation in decision making; Civil society organizations
  • Change in proportion of individuals who used the internet for interaction with public authorities
Indicator building
  • Knowledge, skills, competences
  • Attitudes and values
  • Behaviour and ownership
  • Motivation and engagement
Availability of data

Low

Feasibility

Resource demanding 

Comments/caveats

The indicator building cell includes process, outcome and impact indicators

Source of indicator definition

Wehn et al. (2017, 2019, 2020)