In the shift towards the Big Society, it is widely proclaimed that citizen participation and citizens’ initiatives are indispensable to maintaining services that used to be run by local or regional governments. Despite the increased interest in citizens’ initiatives, research has scarcely debated what …

DIGITAL CITIZENS CREATE A DIGITAL NATION Citizens will play the lead role as they – in the next phase of the information society – collectively create a digital nation. Personal adoption of information and communication technology will create a digital infrastructure that supports individual and collective …

In The Netherlands, an increasing number of projects give experimental form to structural participation of citizens in the design and implementation of local governance and social programs at the local level. The focus on a compact government and diminishing numbers of employees in healthcare and welfare …

Global citizens in the virtual classroom. Presentation, IPUE, Groningen 18-19 november 2013.

When citizens’ initiatives stop: a case-study in the rural areas of the Netherlands

When citizens’ initiatives stop: a case-study in the rural areas of the Netherlands

In urban planning, 3D modeling and virtual reality (VR) provide new means for involving citizens in the planning process. For municipal government, it is essential to know how effective these means are, to justify investments. In this study, we present a case of using VR in a municipal process of civic …

In a growing number of economic branches, citizens are becoming more active, as part-time producers, service providers, suppliers or even entrepreneurs. They compete with traditional companies, but often operate through new business models.