What is it about?
We used Big data-based indicators to compare online deliberation quality in two rounds of participatory budgeting. We found that the levels of participation remain low but that the continuity and responsiveness of online deliberation developed positively.
Why is it important?
Local authorities increasingly employ digital platforms to facilitate public engagement in participatory budgeting processes. This creates opportunities for and challenges in synthesising citizens’ voices online in an iterated cycle, requiring a systematic tool to monitor democratic quality and produce formative feedback. We demonstrated that longitudinal comparison provides a reference point that helps practitioners, designers, and researchers of participatory processes to interpret analytics and evaluative findings in a meaningful way.