This document discusses challenges with democracy and citizen participation. It makes the following key points: 1. Current democratic systems are not truly democratic, as they are manipulated by political and economic powers and do not incorporate meaningful citizen participation. 2. Top-down, controlled forms of participation that are initiated by governments do not work and are incompatible with emancipatory, bottom-up participation. 3. For participation tools and systems to be successful, they must be based on an understanding of political realities and designed in a wise, collaborative, and people-centered manner. 4. The document proposes the CitYsens project, which aims to develop collective intelligence in cities by facilitating citizen participation, civic organization involvement,

1. Todos contamos
World Forum for Democracy, Strasboug, 2013.11.29

2. Theories of change
- Are important!
CrowdEvryting
- With a bad theory:
- Scratch where it doesn’t itch
tiny.cc/absurdwaste
(as shared by Tom Steinberg, from MySociety)
- Become part of the sickness
you intended to fight

3. Initial example
528.653
Real
democracy
Now

4. 40 years of fascist
dictatorship

5. Spanish democracy?
• Manipulative and undemocratic
electoral laws
• Poor separation of power
• Political parties with no internal
democracy
• Absolute opacity, no ethics, no
accountability
• Chronic corruption
• Isolated political class
• …

6. Spanish democracy?
143.000 murdered &
disappeared
after 35 years of
democracy
135.000 still waiting for a
decent burial

7. Spanish democracy?
Legitimacy
Criminalizing protest

8. Pandemic demo-fluh?
Not a technologic problem,
but an “essential” problem

9. What is democracy?
President
Lincoln
1863 - Democracy is the government of the people,
by the people and for the people
“il segreto” – It is not truth
Democracy is the government of the people,
by (some) people and for the (benefit of some) people
Citizenship
Citizenship
Citizens
Citizens
Economic Power
Economic Power
Corporations
Organized Civil Soc.
Corporations
Political Actors
Organized Civil Soc.
Politicians
Politicians
Mass Media
Mass Media
Political parties
Political Parties
Public
Administration
Public
Administration
State Powers
Executive
Other states
Financial Markets
Security
Forces
Judiciary
Legislative
Legislative
EU, WTO, WB, IMF
State Powers
Executive
Security
Forces
Judiciary
International Actors
Political Actors
Dissident Groups
Organized Crime
International Actors
EU, WTO, WB, IMF
Other states
Armed Resistance Groups
Financial Markets
Dissident Groups
Organized Crime
Armed Resistance Groups

10. What this means for local participation?
It does not work!!!
Incompatibilities
Top-down,
controlled, innocuous
& Inside-out
participation
YES
Complex
Expensive
Non-representative
Non-inclusive
Less informed
Conflict prone
Non-deliberative
Difficult to scale
...
- Political
- Legal
- Cultural
- Socioeconomic
- Organizational
YES
GOVERNMENT
Extrinsic Problems
Motivation =
f (effort, usefulness)
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
GOVERNMENT
Intrinsic Problems
NO!!
Botdown-uptop,
emancipating ,
creative & Outside-in
participation
NO!!
Arbitrary
Manipulability
Risk of capture
Irrelevant subjects
Non-effective
Not self-sustainable
Inefficient
Civic exhaustion
...
Administrative Monopoly
of participation

11. If we want success…
… our tools need to be based
on a non-naïve understanding
of reality
1.- Integrated with institutions, but
not dependent on their good-will
2.- Constructed using a wise,
collaborative and peoplecentered design

12. 1. “Wise” means…

13. 1. “Wise” means…
Participation schemas
1. WHAT?
2. WHO?
3. WHEN?
4. WHERE?
5. HOW?
Intensity of Collaboration
Stakeholders involvement
Phase within Policy Cycle
Institutionalization Level
Transparency & Deliberativeness
Corp. Actors
[10 - 1 - 0.5]
Political
Actors
[15 - 13 - 0.9]
Others
[0 - 0 - 0]
Civil Soc.
& Citizenry
[20 - 15 - 0.5]
POLICY
FORMULATION
DECISION
MAKING
AGENDA
SETTING
MONITORING
& EVALUATION
POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION

14. 2. “Collaborative” means…
Core Team
Pioneers Group
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Expansion
Pilot Projects

15. 3. “People-centered” means…
…to be of service to people
Empathic understanding of people’s needs,
aspirations, capacities and incentives

16. CitYsens
Which ones are the most essential
needs that “change-makers” at the
local level have?
Please, keep the balloon
flying with us inside!!

17. Which ones are the most essential
needs that “change-makers” at the
local level have?
1.- To get informed
2.- To inform others

18. Proof of concept: Agenda del Henares
(Using software “Démosphère”)

19. CitYsens Objective:
Develop Collective Intelligence in the city
Collective Intelligence
Citizens
Civic Organizations and
Social Movements
Collective Collective
SensePerception
Making
Collective
Idea
Generation
Administrative &
Political Institutions
Collective
Decission
Making
Collective
Action

20. CitYsens Context Diagram
Usuarios
Roles administración
Personas
Cuidadores
Colectivos
Guardianes
Organizaciones
Apoyan procesos del
sistema
Instituciones
Proveen
informaciones
Se informan
Reciben alertas
de intervención
Administran sistema
y cuidan su reputación y
gobernanza
Reciben alertas
informativas
Herramientas Colaboración
Apoyo procesos
participación
Vídeos
HackPad, Trello, Avaaz, n-1, Loomio,
Oiga.me, Hangouts, EventBrite...
Autentificación Usuarios
Youtube, Vimeo,
Bambuser, Ustream...
Orientación
metodológica
Google, FB, Twitter, OpenId...
Difusión de
informaciones
Viralización
Solicitud
mapas
Sist. Redes Sociales
Orientación activista
15MPedia, Tactical Tech...
Google+, FB, Twitter, Linked
In...
Geolocalización
en mapas
Otras infos
Wikipedia, Open Data, Blogs,
Slideshare, webs...
Sistemas Mapas
OpenStreeMap,
Googlemaps...

21. What we need from you!!
2013.10.15 – Brussels
Workshop eParticipation
“For an e-Participation
project 30.000€ is peanuts”
?
Crowd-funding campaign
Objective: 10.001 €

22. Support us!!!
www.CitYsens.net
45%
Thank you!!!!