Puzzled by Policy: Providing New Hope for E-Participation at the EU Level

Governments today recognise that to deliver effective public policy they need to enhance citizen and community involvement in the policy making process, particularly amongst the socially disadvantaged and hard to reach. For the average EU citizen let alone a newly arrived immigrant, locating, accessing and using upto-date information and tools can often be very difficult. Puzzled by Policy (PBP) aims to correct this worrying situation in a manner that fights the perceived democratic deficit by providing all citizens – regardless of their socio-economic background, subject matter knowledge, IT or literacy skills – an engaging and easy-to-use eParticipation platform to learn about and discuss topical policy issues, like immigration an area that directly impacts often hard-to-reach and socially exclude groups within society, and yet rarely incorporates their voices. ‘Migration is a hot topic and a top priority on the political agendas of the EU Member States. It is growing in scope and complexity and is having a serious impact – positively and negatively – on the European Union and its Member States.’ -European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht.