We investigated the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT, namely mobile phones) in support of citizen agency and its potential in calling for authorities’ accountability. We focused on Eastern Africa and we used a mixed methodology, which allowed us to explore the current uses of ICT to strengthen accountability and to forecast the growth of mobile phones’ adaption in that re...

There is a growing acknowledgement that citizen observatories, and other forms of citizen-generated data, have significant role in tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This evident increasing number Goals’ indicators for which such data are already being used high-level recognition potential science can play. In this article, we argue networks observatories will help rea...

human resources in each organization are the most valuable assets and they play a decisive role in effectiveness of that organization. managers always strive to optimize the utilization of these resources. on the other hand, without willingness of employees to cooperate voluntarily and spontaneously with the organization, it would not be possible to increase effectiveness and improve its perfor...

Family dogs and dog owners offer a potentially powerful way to conduct citizen science to answer questions about animal behavior that are difficult to answer with more conventional approaches. Here we evaluate the quality of the first data on dog cognition collected by citizen scientists using the Dognition.com website. We conducted analyses to understand if data generated by over 500 citizen s...

When facing local environmental issues, maps are a very effective tool. They can help in collecting facts about an area, bring issues to the table, allow for comparison between areas, act as a tool of communication with local decision makers, and identify key issues for action. While the maps on their own do not alter the power relationships within which communities live their lives, many studi...

Examining the extent to which a community plays a role in the decision-making process in tourism planning can provide a better understanding of how tourism can benefit a community. Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation (ALCP) has been adopted by tourism scholars to understand both the nature of the participation expected of the community and the community’s actual participation in tourism ...

i This "In Brief" report highlights Commission findings and recommendations from an ACIR report entitled Citizen Participation in the American Federal System, adopted by the Advisory Sacramento) made significant contributions to the study. Carol S. Weissert, ACIR Information Officer, wrote this "In Brief" based on their work.

This paper draws attention to the need of a systematic socio-technical approach to introducing electronic voting and presents early results from a pilot project conducted by the Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Italy. Main features of this experience are the constant monitoring of the social impact and the development of a technological solution in accordance to the suggestions provided by the use...