This in-depth study is the first to outline the main features of social enterprises in 28 EU Member States and Switzerland. Read
Our take on CHANGE.ORG - not your ordinary civil society organisation. Read
With the rise in popularity and influence of global petition web sites, those launched by state institutions have remained out of the spotlight. Such sites could be seen as praiseworthy initiatives that nevertheless lack the necessary punch. However, the story behind them is a bit more complicated and worth spending a little time on. The way that We the People in the US and e-petitions in the UK have developed highlights a couple of crucial insights into democracy. Read
Perhaps we have been focusing on the wrong patient. Instead of looking for remedies to make nation-states more democratic, perhaps we should re-focus on cities as the locus of our political activity? Read
The Living Wage campaign, started by London Citizens in 2001, is a prime example of what can be achieved when the goal of politics is set to achieving a common ground. Read
In our articles, we are always trying to illuminate the most interesting and innovative new practices (or tools if you will) that make democratic participation easier and more effective, especially if they entail an online or e-participation element. But since we are based in Latvia, I always have a question popping up in the back of my head – would this initiative work in Latvia? What obstacles would it meet and how could we overcome them to integrate these new tools in our existing system? Read
One thing that’s great in the community of e-democracy activists is their openness to sharing their innovations. Read
Government purchases of goods and services – a huge industry estimated to be worth ‘between 13% and 20% of GDP on average worldwide’ (OECD) made with public funding for the public good. Yet it remains as one of the more opaque state operations.
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