Taking forward a new agenda for online political deliberation – the study of everyday political talk in non-political, online ‘third spaces’ – this article examines the dynamics of political talk across three general interest UKbased... more
Taking forward a new agenda for online political deliberation – the study of everyday political talk in non-political, online ‘third spaces’ – this article examines the dynamics of political talk across three general interest UKbased online forums. The quantitative analysis found that discussions about austerity were just as likely to emerge from non-political discussions as they were ones that began as ‘political’, demonstrating the links people made between everyday experiences and public policy. Our qualitative analysis represents the first real attempt to analyse political actions within third spaces, with some striking outcomes. Over half of all political discussions led to at least one political action (with significant variation between forums). The findings demonstrate that whilst such third spaces remain concerned with the preoccupations of everyday life, they can and do perform a role of mobilising agent towards political participation.
L'autrice evidenzia la tensione partecipativa che ha caratterizzato Palermo negli ultimi anni, mostrando le principali caratteristiche, ma anche i limiti, dei percorsi partecipativi analizzati.
While Western planning emphasizes the importance of genuine meaningful citizen participation, the conventional public meeting approach fails to truly engage with the public. Studies have revealed the limitations of this approach to engage... more
While Western planning emphasizes the importance of genuine meaningful citizen participation, the conventional public meeting approach fails to truly engage with the public. Studies have revealed the limitations of this approach to engage and positively impact ethnic communities. However, research has been limited to investigating the inefficiency of the participatory framework from the experts’ perspective. It has not addressed the issue of the lack of ethnic diversity in participatory processes nor have made concrete recommendations for policymakers. The purpose of this research is to explore the urban governance contradiction regarding the attainment of meaningful engagement. This goal is achieved through uncovering how ethnically diverse citizens engage with and are engaged by the municipal participatory framework to understand to what extent this approach meets their needs. The research is conducted through a case study of the eight Scarborough Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs), which comprise an important share of diverse ethnic groups. This study reviews the NIAs’ participatory process and policies and analyses the output of interviews with representatives of the Scarborough communities, representatives of neighbourhood agencies, and the City to examine participatory processes and uncover ethnic groups’ perspectives concerning the municipal participatory approach.
Series editors: Anna Triandafyllidou and Usha George
Key Words: citizen participation, meaningful public engagement, citizen empowerment, ethnic communities, the City of Toronto participatory framework
Manresa va ser la primera ciutat catalana que va organitzar un procés participatiu per posar a debat el Pla d'Actuació Municipal. En aquest treball, publicat per la Diputació de Barcelona, s'hi exposen la gènesi i les característiques del... more
Manresa va ser la primera ciutat catalana que va organitzar un procés participatiu per posar a debat el Pla d'Actuació Municipal. En aquest treball, publicat per la Diputació de Barcelona, s'hi exposen la gènesi i les característiques del projecte, així com les dificultats i limitacions detectades. Acaba amb un conjunt de recomanacions.
This article examines to what extent, and how, people engaging in political talk within ‘non-political’ discussion forums – online lifestyle communities – leads to political (or personal) action or calls-to-action. The analysis is framed... more
This article examines to what extent, and how, people engaging in political talk within ‘non-political’ discussion forums – online lifestyle communities – leads to political (or personal) action or calls-to-action. The analysis is framed in the context of wider questions of citizenship, civic engagement and political mobilization. To capture everyday political talk amongst citizens requires us to move beyond the now widely analysed online spaces of formal politics. Instead, we focus on online third spaces concerning lifestyle issues such as parenting, personal finance and popular culture. Drawing on a content analysis of three popular UK-based discussion forums over the course of five years (2010–2014), we found that (for two of the three cases) such spaces were more than just talking shops. Rather they were spaces where political actions not only emerged, but where they seemed to be cultivated. Discussions embedded in the personal lives of participants often developed – through talk – into political actions aimed at government (or other) authorities. The article sheds light on the contributing factors and processes that (potentially) trigger and foster action emerging from political talk and provides insight into the mobilization potential of third spaces.
Net-based public sphere researchers have questioned whether the internet presents the public sphere with a new opportunity for the development of public spaces where free, equal and open deliberation among citizens can flourish. However,... more
Net-based public sphere researchers have questioned whether the internet presents the public sphere with a new opportunity for the development of public spaces where free, equal and open deliberation among citizens can flourish. However, much of the research has operationalized a formal notion of deliberation thereby neglecting the expressive nature of everyday political talk. This study moved beyond a formal notion by also investigating the use of expressives within The Guardian (UK) political discussion forum. A content analysis was employed as the primary instrument for examination. Additional textual analyses were conducted on the use of expressives. The findings suggest that with the exception of humour expressives tended to impede political talk rather than facilitating it.
