Unox1 - Modena's Participatory Budget (eBudget)

The Participatory Budget implemented by the Civic Network “Mo-Net” and by the Participation Office of Comune di Modena (Italy) aims at promoting citizens' participation to help define the Administration's budget. It is based on offline and online tools (such as forums, polls and video streaming) accessible through the Unox1 website (“One for one”), the Mo-Net integrated information and communications system. The Participatory Budget scheme brings benefits both to the citizens, who are able to debate on this political issue, and to the Public Administration, with a new channel to receive ideas for the budget elaboration.

Policy Context

In 2000 the Italian Action Plan on eGovernment was adopted, defining several activities. In particular, action 6.2.1. refers to the development of Public Administrations civic networks and to the importance of carrying out services for the participation of citizens in the life of Administrations and decision making processes. In March 2007, the Italian Minister for Reforms and Innovation in Public Administration published a Document called “Towards National eGovernment System: strategic guidelines”. It defines several strategic objectives: one is referred to the implementation of digital citizenship and to the promotion of eDemocracy, overcoming digital divide. The participatory budget of Comune di Modena fits into this national strategy since its beginning, promoting public meetings and online participation, with live broadcasting, forums and web initiatives. Moreover, it: - develops in the frame of an important regional eDemocracy project called “Partecipa.Net”, an experimentation of new online participation methodologies (see http://www.partecipa.net/wcm/partecipanet/menu/partecipa_net/the_projec…); - contributes to the implementation of active citizenship, giving citizens the possibility of participating in the local political life and eDemocracy, and is in line with the Communication “i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: Accelerating eGovernment in Europe for the Benefit of All”, which, at point 6, states that “Governments are seeking to build wide and inclusive support for public policies to ensure effective implementation and avoid new democratic and societal divides. Better decision-making and more extensive involvement of citizens in all phases of democratic decision-making, including at European level, are critical for the cohesion of European society.”

Description of target users and groups

Unox1 services are accessible to all the users of the Civic network, no matter where they live. In fact, the target of Unox1 includes all people using municipal services and wishing to get more information on them for different reasons (for example, somebody who works in Modena but lives elsewhere and comes to the town occasionally in order to attend cultural or sports events).

Description of the way to implement the initiative

Unox1 services specifically addressed to the development of the Participatory Budget have been implemented in a local context, where digital literacy of citizens has been strongly encouraged through the introduction of Public Internet Points (in libraries, toy libraries, municipal centres, information points and associations) and free Wi-Fi spots. Participatory Budget requires a multichannel strategy for citizens participation based on online and offline tools. In particular, the following tools are used: - public meetings periodically organised at neighbourhood level; - video streaming of public meetings on the website of Comune di Modena. Citizens can take part on them, sending e-mails, by phone or filling specific online forms; - a paper newsletter of Comune di Modena, where reports of previous public meetings and initiatives of the Participatory Budget are published, delivered free of charge to every family in Modena; - online newsletters, where reports of previous public meetings and initiatives of the Participatory Budget are published; - personalised answers of Comune di Modena's experts to citizens' specific questions sent through Unox1; - online forums, available through Unox1, where citizens can take part. In particular, forums on Participatory Budget analyse and discuss themes of particular interest defined during public meetings; - online polls.

Technology solution

Technology choice: Open source software

Main results, benefits and impacts

The information and communication system of Unox1 allows to stimulate a relation between users and Comune di Modena, based on a concrete and constant exchange of data that involves not only the Civic Network, which coordinates the system, but also different Departments of Comune di Modena that, as decentralised editorial offices, contribute to the definition of Unox1 information contents. Applying this method, Unox1 is able to involve and impact on more and more users, so that a wide group of citizens, wishing to express their opinions and to give their suggestions through tools as forums and polls, can be defined. As a result, users get a precise feedback related to specific issues that completes and integrates data collected by Public Administration through different channels at its disposal. At present, Participatory budget is an ongoing experience and Comune di Modena wants it to become a sustainable initiative, able to identify technological and operational tools for the implementation of online services, permanently offered by Civic Network.

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Track record of sharing

Participatory budget is an initiative that was shared in different occasions, as meetings and conferences. Among the most relevant: - the International conference “i2010 Lab: A Practical Guide to EU Information Society”, held in Treviso (Italy), May 22nd 2007 and implemented in the frame of INTERREG III C project BRISE “Boosting Regional Information Society Expertise”; - the European Information Society Conference EISCO 2007, held in Hammellinna (Finland), April 16th - 18th 2007 (for information see slides Unox1: eParticipation for Participatory budget at http://www.hameenliitto.fi/eisco2007/files/12Forghieri.pdf); - the Conference “TALeP – Technologies for eParticipation: deterrent or chance for democratic participation?”; organised by the “Istituto di Linguistica Computazionale” (ILC) of Italian National Centre for Research (CNR) of Pisa, held at at the Auditorium of Research Area of CNR - November 27th and 28th 2006. The initiative was carried out in the framework of the European Network of Excellence (NoE) on e Participation DEMO-Net; - the Conference “eDemocracy for the promotion of citizenship and for the new territorial policies territory”, held in Bologna (Italy), November 23rd, 2006 in the framework of the project “Partecipa.Net”

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - Participatory Budget has taught us how to develop and manage online forums, to promote the debate among citizens on issues referred to local public life, besides traditional places of citizens participation; Lesson 2 - We have also learnt how to promote, through the use of ICT tools and services as Unox1, accessible initiatives for the participation of citizens in local policies, considering their opinions and suggestions (namely, the development of eDemocracy). Lesson 3 - Finally, it is important to remind that tools used are based on open source modalities. This aspect encourages other Public Administrations to adopt these modalities and so it increases the possibility of transferring Participatory Budget lessons to other Cities.

Scope: Local (city or municipality)