Between October and December 2010, the first deliberative field experiment in Swiss direct democracy was conducted. The issue of the online experiment was the expulsion initiative („Ausschaffungsinitiative”) of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and the counterproposal of the government and parliament. The expulsion initiative was an emotionally charged issue with a populist dimension, and as such perhaps not well suited for reasoned discussion. At the same time, it is precisely this kind of direct democratic vote where deliberation is perhaps most needed.
The Irish Constitutional Convention of 2013 is “a new venture in participative democracy in Ireland tasked with considering certain aspects of the Constitution to ensure that it is fully equipped for the 21st Century”.
The purpose of this document is to summarize the results of an exercise in small-scale, intensive public consultation regarding the problem of roaming horses on the West side of Okanagan Lake above Penticton. A Delphi approach using iterative web-based surveys was used to elicit and evaluate ideas from a selected panel of approximately 50 residents. The results provide a foundation for an RDOS-initiated horse control strategy for the area.
