Analysing different models of structured electronic consultation on legislation under formation

1
Analysing different models of structured
electronic consultation on legislation under
formation

• Loukis, E., Wimmer, M.

2
Introduction

• Electronic consultation through the Internet has
  become an important means of e-participation on
  important government policies and decisions
• enabling interaction among government agencies
  and citizens on public policies and decisions
• There are reservations about their quality
• It is necessary to aim not only at high quantity
  but also at high quality of consultation?high
  quality opinions arguments
• Research is required in order to develop better
  ICT-based tools and methods for facilitating more
  effective interactions between government
  organizations and citizens

3
Introduction

• One category of ICT tools proposed or this
  purpose is the structured e-forum ? structured
  e-consultations
• Participants must enter semantically annotated
  postings
• and also must relate them to previous postings of
  others
• Allowed types of postings and relations among
  them should be according to a predefined
  discussion ontology
• This is expected to result in more effective
  e-discussions,
• with more mentally processed and focused
  contributions
• more strongly connected with the contributions of
  other participants ?better communication and
  interaction
• Higher quality discussion, opinions and arguments

4
Introduction

• However, limited empirical research of such
  structured e-deliberation tools has been
  conducted,
• based on sound theoretical foundations, and
  providing a deeper understanding of them (to what
  extent these expectations are realized and under
  what conditions)
• This paper analyses and compares two different
  models of structured e-consultation on the
  formation of legislation
• one based on IBIS framework (more
  structured-complex) issues-alternatives-arguments
  -comments (th.back. in paper),
• and a simpler and less structured one questions
  answers comments, which is often used
• This research has been conducted as part of LEXIS
  project

5
Research Methodology

• Analysis of the processes of legislation
  formation in the Parliaments of Austria and
  Greece
• Design of pilot e-consultations on legislation
  under formation in the two Parliaments
• In the Austrian pilot was discussed the draft on
  Child and Youth Welfare Law among high school
  students (16-19 years old less sophisticated
  participants),
• 10 threads initiated by teachers 4 of e-forum
  type I (IBIS I ALT ARG - C) and 6 of type II
  e-forum(Q-A-C)
• In the Greek pilot was discussed the draft of
  Contracts of Voluntary Co-habitation (highly
  controversial) among under/postgraduate students
  from the NTUA and the University of the Aegean
  (more sophisticated participants)
• One thread of type II e-forum(Q-A-C) the more
  demanding

6
Research Methodology

• Each pilot was evaluated both quantitative and
  qualitative methods, in four stages
• Analysis of the discussion trees (metrics for
  each thread number of postings number of
  postings per type, percentage of postings
  assigned mistaken type, number of postings per
  level - depth)
• Quantitative Evaluation (based on TAM)
• Qualitative Evaluation (based on TAM)
• Synthesis of the conclusions

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Austrian Pilot

• 253 postings in total
• Forums of type I were used more intensely than
  the forums of type II, on average 50.5 postings
  per thread and the latter only 8.5)
• The more structured e-consultation model of type
  I forum provides to the participants more
  stimulation than the model of type II forum
• Also 139 postings (55) were comments
• These young and less sophisticated participants
  find structured e-consultations too demanding.
• so they prefer to choose the more broad type of
  comment,
• instead of the other more specific types, such
  as issue, alternative, pro- and contra-argument
  (in type I forum), or question and answer (in
  type II forum),
• which require more processing being more specific,

8
Austrian Pilot

• In structured e-forum I threads was on average
  assigned a mistaken type in 46.1 of postings,
  while in the structured e-forum II threads in
  31.8
• This shows that the more structured
  e-consultation model of type I e-forum creates
  more difficulties for the participants to
  semantically annotate postings
• than the simpler model of type II e-forum
• The discussions in the type I e-forum threads
  reached a higher depth (5,5 l) than in the type
  II e-forum threads (4 l)
• The more structured e-consultation model of type
  I forum, enabling more types of postings and
  associations among participants,
• facilitates discussions of more depth with a
  higher degree of interaction among the
  participants

9
Austrian pilot
10
Greek Pilot

• 131 postings in total
• 8 issues, 15 suggested alternatives, 13
  comments, 35 pro-arguments, and 60
  con-arguments.
• A more balanced and normal use of types, without
  the excessive use of the comment type like in the
  Austrian pilot
• In general, a good and balanced discussion
  tree, with the expected structure from a
  well-developed e- discussion
• The number of postings with mistaken type was 13
  (10), much lower than in the Austrian pilot

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Greek Pilot

• 7 levels 8 postings first level, 24 on second
  level, 38 on third level, 27 on fourth level, 20
  on fifth level, 13 on sixth level and 1 posting
  on seventh
• The electronic discussion of the Greek pilot was
  characterized by considerable depth and
  interaction among these more sophisticated
  participants
• more sophisticated users better utilize the
  discussion structure such a tool provides, i.e.
  use correctly and efficiently all the types of
  postings it allows - not only the broader types
  of postings (such as the comment), but also the
  more specific types such as issue, alternative,
  pro and contra argument

12
Greek Pilot
13
Conclusions

• Less sophisticated users with lower levels of
  education and less skills and experiences in
  structured discussions find the more structured
  e-forum structures more difficult and demanding
• and make a suboptimal use of them
• Main difficulties result from mental efforts
  needed in thinking in the highly structured way
  that such tools impose,
• in annotating correctly the postings
• Connecting them to others postings
• and in general using efficiently the discussion
  language

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Conclusions

• However, they can facilitate higher quality
  discussions,
• Highly structured e-consultations require
  adequate skills, capacities and training of the
  users.
• Hence, such highly structured tools may not be
  the best solution for wider citizen
  participation, but very good for more
  sophisticated and knowledgeable citizens.
• Parliaments are therefore recommended organize
  e-consultations with a wider public by using
  simple e-forums,
• while at the same time they may exploit
  structured e-forum tools to consult with expert
  groups relevant for the bills under discussion