Ros, fammi sapere se la cosa ti puo' interessare... baci!
If you attend the "e-democracy: Localism" session <http://www.ecommons.net/aoir/aoir2003/index.php?p=114 on Sunday be sure to grill Jakob Jensen <http://www.jakoblinaa.blogspot.com/> on his paper about about "Minnesota E-Democracy - Online Participation And Political Effects" <http://www.ecommons.net/aoir/aoir2003/index.php?t=328>. I think the questions that he asked our forum participants get at the important agenda-setting issues and provide a useful template for future comparisons with other forums. They also help one imagine the political impact of the online medium if such local public issue forums were successfully implemented in more cities. E-Democracy.Org does have a research section on our web site <http://www.e-democracy.org/research/> with the fresh content toward the bottom of the page.
Some less know articles linked from here include:
Bridging and Bonding Social Capital in an Online Public Sphere: the case of MN E-Democracy (Word), a Masters Thesis by Kimberly B. Kirn, 2001- Providedby E-Democracy with the permission of the author.
Civic Engagement in the Cyberspace Era: A Study of a Local Cybergroup(PDF), A Ph.D by Gay Henry Lyons, 2002 - This is NOT focused on Minnesota E-Democracy specifically, but it does explore a similar forum like our own in Knoxville, Tennesse.
As I indicated, E-Democracy.Org is interested in working with researchers ready to create vital knowledge about the application of information and communication technologies and strategies _with_ democratic intent. So as you get ready for AOIR in 2004, feel free to contact us. Steven Clift E-Democracy.Org http://www.e-democracy.org/about