Outlining an E-Participation Environment

Representative democracy is, by definition, a type of democracy in which the citizens delegate authority to elected representatives. These representatives form an independent ruling body charged with the responsibility of acting in the people's interest. This means they are in charge of making decisions in the name of those they represent, and they are committed to inform citizens about their choices. However, to make effective their role as representatives, they need to take into account people’s interests, problems, suggestions, and so forth. This paper deals with the design, implementation, and initial field-testing of an integrated communication and participation software platform, designed to support dialogue and citizens’ involvement in policy making processes