Download - Designing an Online Civic Participation Platform: Socio-Computational Supports for Finding, Enlisting, and Motivating Contributors

DESIGNING AN ONLINE CIVIC PARTICIPATION PLATFORM Socio-Computational Supports for Finding, Enlisting, and Motivating Contributors

[email protected]!

Today’s Presentation

•  Introduc:on!

• eGovernment!&!eRulemaking!background!

• Cornell!eBRulemaking!Ini:a:ve,!Regula:onRoom!•  Recruitment!of!(underBrepresented)!stakeholders!•  Facilita:ng!engagement!&!collabora:on!•  Assessing!quality!&!value!of!par:cipa:on!

About Me Research(•  Interests:!User!Modeling;!Recommender!Systems;!Social!Compu:ng!•  Domains:!Mental!&!Physical!Health,!Civic!Innova:on!!

Current(•  PhD!student!B!Cornell!Informa:on!Science!(2011Bpresent)!•  CommiVee:!Profs.!Dan!Cosley!(chair),!Claire!Cardie,!Geri!Gay!!

Background(•  MIT!S.B.!in!Mathema:cs!with!Computer!Science,!2007!•  CoBfounder!of!MIT!CSAIL!startup,!2007B2011!

•  NSF!Graduate!Research!Fellow,!2011!

(

Background • “eBGovernment”,!“Open!Government”!!

• Goals!•  alert!and!engage!ci:zens!•  increase!informa:on!access!•  provide!interac:ve!discussion!spaces!with!lowered!barriers!for!engagement!that!welcome!diverse!opinions!

!

•  In!prac:ce!•  redundant,!irrelevant,!polarized!content!•  policymakers!&!ci:zens!frustrated!

Rulemaking

•  Rulemaking:!process!federal!agencies!use!to!create!regula:ons!(“rules”)!•  Public!no:ce!!!open!comment!period!!!agency!evalua:on!•  2001B2010:!over!38,000!rules!finalized!•  2003B2010:!568!major!rules!with!$100!million!economic!effect!•  Tradi:onally!dominated!by!sophis:cated!and!resourced!en::es!

!•  e5Rulemaking:!the!use!of!digital!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!technologies!to!support!this!process!•  S:ll!poses!barriers!that!prevent!effec:ve,!broad!engagement!from!ci:zens!

Rulemaking

•  Rulemaking:!process!federal!agencies!use!to!create!regula:ons!(“rules”)!•  Public!no:ce!!!open!comment!period!!!agency!evalua:on!•  2001B2010:!over!38,000!rules!finalized!•  2003B2010:!568!major!rules!with!$100!million!economic!effect!•  Tradi:onally!dominated!by!sophis:cated!and!resourced!en::es!

!•  e5Rulemaking:!the!use!of!digital!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!technologies!to!support!this!process!•  S:ll!poses!barriers!that!prevent!effec:ve,!broad!engagement!from!ci:zens!

CeRI: Cornell eRulemaking Initiative • Mul:Bdisciplinary!team!

•  Law!school,!Legal!Informa:on!Ins:tute,!Scheinman!Ins:tute!on!Conflict!Resolu:on,!Communica:on,!Informa:on!Science,!Computer!Science!

• Addressing!behavioral!&!technical!challenges!•  Social!+!behavioral!sciences,!NLP,!HCI!

RegulationRoom.org

RegulationRoom.org

Since!2010!launch:!•  5!rulemakings!• DOT,!CFPB!partnerships!

•  Recogni:on!!

Civic Engagement Cycle

2

1 3

•  Collaboration •  Summarization •  Consensus

•  Identify stakeholders •  Target •  Motivate

•  Learn •  Question •  Contribute

Civic Engagement Cycle •  Learn •  Question •  Contribute

2

1 3



Civic Engagement Cycle

2

1 3



•  Learn •  Question •  Contribute

Participation Patterns

Since 2010: •  40,500 visitors made 60,000 site visits •  1,566 registered users •  5 separate hosted rulemakings •  1,544 individuals participated in various forms •  609 actively engaged in deliberation •  1,537 total comments generated •  80% of participants never took part in a rulemaking

prior

Hurdles to civic engagement

1.   Motivated awareness barrier

2.   Information barrier

3.   Participation literacy barrier

Overcoming the Hurdles Recruitment((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Delibera8ve(

Discussion(Consensus5Building(

Bringing!in!underrepresented!

stakeholders!

Facilita:ng!informed!

delibera:on!

Suppor:ng!the!move!to!

collabora:on!and!consensusBbuilding!

Iden:fying!social!and!psychological!drivers!of!

effec:ve!civic!engagement!(Social!science),

NLP!techniques!to!support!effec:ve!civic!engagement!

(Computer!Science)!,

Designing!to!support!the!cycle!of!civic!engagement!!

(HCI),



Bringing(in(underrepresented(

stakeholders(


delibera:on!








(HCI),




stakeholders!

Facilita8ng(informed(

delibera8on(








(HCI),




stakeholders!


delibera:on!

Suppor8ng(the(move(to(

collabora8on(and(consensus5building(






(HCI),




stakeholders!


delibera:on!




effec:ve!civic!engagement!(Social(science)!


(Computer(Science)(!


(HCI)!


1.   Motivated awareness barrier

2.  Information barrier

3.  Participation literacy barrier

Motivated Awareness

•  Communica8ons(outreach(plan(•  Iden:fy!stakeholders!•  Outreach!–!email,!phone,!online!communica:on!•  Social!&!online!media!–!TwiVer,!Facebook,!Google!ads!

•  Coordinated!media!outreach!•  Framing!(pos!vs.!neg;!loss!vs.!gain;!episodic!vs.!thema:c)!

•  Personal!stake!•  Par:cipa:on!efficacy!

•  Leveraging!exis:ng!social!networks!•  Peer!referencing!•  Peer!generated!invites!vs.!authority!figure!invites!

Motivated Awareness

•  Communica:ons!outreach!plan!•  Iden:fy!stakeholders!•  Outreach!–!email,!phone,!online!communica:on!•  Social!&!online!media!–!TwiVer,!Facebook,!Google!ads!

•  Coordinated(media(outreach(•  Framing!(pos!vs.!neg;!loss!vs.!gain;!episodic!vs.!thema:c)!



Motivated Awareness





Motivated Awareness




•  Leveraging(exis8ng(social(networks(•  Peer!referencing!•  Peer!generated!invites!vs.!authority!figure!invites!


1.  Motivated awareness barrier

2.   Information barrier

3.  Participation literacy barrier

Accessibility

•  No:ces!of!proposed!rulemaking!(NPRMs)!•  Economic!analyses!!

"  Triage!!"  Transla:on!"  Layering!

Triage

Translation •  Airline!regula:on!=!25,000!word!No:ce!of!Proposed!Rulemaking!(NPRM)!+!34,000!word!CostBBenefit!Analysis!

• Home!mortgage!NPRM!>!800!manuscript!pages!• Graduate!school!level!readability!score!!

In!addi:on,!the!Bureau!has!the!authority!to,!amer!considering!enumerated!factors,!condi:onally!or!uncondi:onally!exempt!any!class!of!covered!persons,!service!providers,!or!consumer!financial!products!or!services!from!any!provision!of!this!:tle,!or!from!any!rule!issued!under!this!:tle,!as!the!Bureau!determines!necessary!or!appropriate!to!carry!out!the!purposes!and!objec:ves!of!this!:tle![:tle!X!of!the!DoddBFrank!Act].!

Consumers!have!the!right!to!dispute!a!debt!in!collec:on,!and!both!FTC!and!CFPB!get!a!lot!of!complaints!that!collectors!have!the!wrong!debtor!or!are!trying!to!collect!more!than!what's!owed.!

vs.!From!an!original!NPRM! From!a!translated!NPRM!

Layering


1.  Motivated awareness barrier

2.  Information barrier

3.   Participation literacy barrier

Facilitating Participation

• Educa:onal!materials!• Targeted!commen:ng!• Facilita:ve!modera:on!• Site!design!

Educational Materials

Targeted Commenting

Facilitative Moderation

Site Design

•  Suppor:ng!moderator!efforts!&!communica:ng!norms!•  “Endorse”!func:on!•  “Recommend”!func:on!

Site Design


•  Teaching!community!and!commen:ng!norms!

Site Design


•  Teaching!community!and!commen:ng!norms!•  Increasing!the!visible!value!of!contribu:on!

•  Trivia!challenges,!points,!badges,!rewards!

Editing Interfaces

• Wri:ng!support!• Collabora:on!• Policymakers!• Advancement!

Editing Interfaces

• Wri8ng(support(• Collabora:on!• Policymakers!• Advancement!

Editing Interfaces

• Wri:ng!support!• Collabora8on(• Policymakers!• Advancement!

Editing Interfaces

• Wri:ng!support!• Collabora:on!• Policymakers(• Advancement(

Editing Interfaces

• Wri:ng!support!• Collabora:on!• Policymakers!• Advancement(

Mechanical Turk study

• Members:!core,!ac:ve,!peripheral,!outsiders!• Mo:va:ng!peripheral!members!to!increase!ac:vity!• Manipulate!commen:ng!interface!to!prompt!contribu:on!

• Study!par:cipants:!Mechanical!Turk!Workers!• Opportunity!

• Worker!challenges,!mo:va:ons,!communi:es!•  Experiences,!astudes!regarding!Amazon!policies!


• Members:!core,!ac:ve,!peripheral,!outsiders!• Mo:va:ng!peripheral!members!to!increase!ac:vity!• Manipulate!commen:ng!interface!to!prompt(contribu8on(

• Study!par:cipants:!Mechanical!Turk!Workers!• Opportunity!




• Study!par:cipants:!Mechanical(Turk(Workers(• Opportunity!




• Study!par:cipants:!Mechanical!Turk!Workers!• Opportunity(


Measuring Engagement • Standard(web(analy8cs(

•  #!of!visitors,!comments,!page!views!

• Volume!of!new!voices!•  64%!<!volume!<!98%!

• Civic!educa:on!• Value!to!policymakers!

•  Public!comments!cited!in!both!finalized!rules!•  Incorporate!public!comments!despite!industry!opposi:on!•  In!airline!rule,!cited!comments!appear!in!almost!20!different!sec:ons!of!agency’s!discussion!of!new!rule!

Measuring Engagement • Standard!web!analy:cs!


• Volume(of(new(voices(•  64%!<!volume!<!98%!

• Civic!educa:on!• Value!to!policymakers!





• Civic(educa8on(• Value!to!policymakers!





• Civic!educa:on!• Value(to(policymakers(


To Conclude…

•  Challenges!are!social,!psychological,!procedural,!technological!!

To Conclude…

•  Challenges!are!social,!psychological,!procedural,!technological!!• Must!iden:fy!and!nurture!required!capabili:es!

To Conclude…

•  Challenges!are!social,!psychological,!procedural,!technological!!• Must!iden:fy!and!nurture!required!capabili:es!• More!projects!to!determine!strategies!and!resources!to!sa:sfy!both!policymakers!&!ci:zens!

To Conclude…

•  Challenges!are!social,!psychological,!procedural,!technological!!• Must!iden:fy!and!nurture!required!capabili:es!• More!projects!to!determine!strategies!and!resources!to!sa:sfy!both!policymakers!&!ci:zens!

Thank(you!(Ques:ons,!feedback,!and!guidance!welcome!

[email protected]!

Download - Designing an Online Civic Participation Platform: Socio-Computational Supports for Finding, Enlisting, and Motivating Contributors

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