In 2022, Mihajlo Jakovljev, Founder of Octavian Consulting, earned his second master’s degree in European and Global Studies at the University of Padua (Italy). Specializing in digital participation he defended his thesis titled “The use of digital tools for political participation in digital democracy: Qualitative analysis of 10 case studies”. In many ways, this research was a solid foundation that would lead him to open Octavian Consulting in 2025 with the aim of expertly improving the quality of participatory activities in the field of digital democracy and beyond.
Abstract
This research aims to qualitatively analyze the use of digital tools for political participation in digital democracy using 10 case studies. Technological development is influencing every part of our reality. Political systems are not an exception. Democracies expanded by the use of information and communication technology are dubbed digital democracies. Digital democracies are forming new political participation forms by using digital tools to encourage political participation from their citizens. The core of the paper is an analysis of 10 case studies of digital participation platforms divided on three levels of applicability: parliamentary, local government and political party. There is a gap in understanding whether new digital innovations have a potential to shape the future of democratic processes or do they represent a failed experiment. The paper deals with understanding the use of digital tools for political participation in digital democracy from 2001 to 2020. Spatially, the paper will focus on Europe and individual countries of the world depending on the level of the analysis.
University: Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy
Faculty/Department: Department of Political Sciences, Law and International Studies – SPGI
Course of Study: EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL STUDIES Master’s Degree (DM 270/2004)