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At present, digital participation and the role of civic technology organizations have become crucial topics in the realm of politics and society. The widespread use of digital platforms and social networks has empowered citizens, enabling them to actively engage in political and social issues through multiple channels. This shift towards more digital participation not only democratizes access to information and participation but also presents challenges in terms of inclusion, security, and transparency. Civic technology organizations, in turn, have emerged as key players in promoting citizen participation and creating tools and platforms that allow citizens to collaborate with government institutions and make collective decisions.
The director of our Digital Citizenship Training Program, an academic from the School of Communications and Journalism at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and an associated researcher of GobLab, Luis Enrique Santana, recently in collaboration with various researchers, our organization has conducted two investigations that contribute valuable data and reflections to this area: one on digital citizenship and another on CrowdLaw. Both studies offer valuable insights into how the intersection of technology, politics, and society is shaping citizen participation and redefining the relationship between citizens and government in the Latin American context. The research projects are:
The first investigation analyzes the definitions and the emerging concept of digital citizenship in the context of Latin America, examining nearly 400 digital citizenship initiatives from 19 countries. It proposes an inductive framework for classifying these initiatives according to the level of organizational innovation and power distribution. Through this framework, this work contributes to the conceptualization and understanding of emerging initiatives related to digital citizenship in digital society. On the other hand, the second investigation explores CrowdLaw experiments in the Chilean Congress, which is a concrete example of how civic technology is influencing how government institutions interact with citizens.
Both academic investigations were part of the panel “Digital Participation and the Role of Civic Technology Organizations” at the 27th World Congress of Political Science (IPSA), held in Buenos Aires from July 15th to 19th. They not only contribute theoretical understanding but also provide practical perspectives on how digital participation and civic technologies are shaping the current sociopolitical landscape.