As announced last week, the IMPACT project will organise a workshop in Berlin to discuss practical implications of online consultations and to explore the use of the IMPACT tools for argument analysis and visualisation together with practitioners. Please find detailed information about the event below.

We cordially invite all members of the Policy Argumentation Network to participate in the workshop! Please note that the workshop is intended to be held in German language.

Kind regards,
Steffen Albrecht

Date:     8 February 2012
Time:    1:30pm – 5:30pm
Venue:  NRW Landesvertretung Berlin, Hiroshimastr. 12,10785 Berlin

Outline Agenda:

• The workshop presents up-to-date procedures and technologies to support policy-making processes with a focus on online consultations and computer-supported policy argumentation.
• Participants test and evaluate tools for argumentation analysis currently under development in the EU-project “IMPACT” and discuss their application in policy-making.
• The workshop offers opportunities to share experiences about the practice of policy-making and available support.

Who should attend?

• Policy-makers, policy analysts and members of public administration who are involved in policy-making and/or consultation initiatives, also from business and civil society organisations.
• There is no registration fee, but please register informally by sending e-mail to Steffen Albrecht (albrecht@zebralog.de) before 4 February 2012.
• Following the workshop, participants have the opportunity to attend the evening debate at the MEDIENFORUM.BERLIN on „Open Data, Open Government - Neue Regeln, neue (Medien-) Politik?“, held also at the Landesvertretung NRW.

Further information:

• Workshop invitation in German
  

  Click here to download:

  WorkshopIMPACTBerlin_de.pdf (57 KB)
  

  (download)
  

  

  Click here to download:

  WorkshopIMPACTBerlin_de.pdf (57 KB)
  
• Workshop invitation in English
  

  Click here to download:

  WorkshopIMPACTBerlin_en.pdf (55 KB)
  

  (download)
  

  

  Click here to download:

  WorkshopIMPACTBerlin_en.pdf (55 KB)
  

The IMPACT partners would like to draw your attention on two workshops on online citizen engagement. Both aim to link research and practice and present the latest developments in the project to practitioners in government and policy analysis. We invite all members of the PA network to participate in these events and to get a more vivid and detailed impression of the tools developed in the project than is possible here on this online platform.

At both events, your feedback on our work is welcome and highly appreciated.

1st event: Sheffield, 27th January 2012

2nd event: Berlin, 8th February 2012

Detailed information: (see below for information on the Berlin event)

1st event: Sheffield, 27th January 2012

FP7 eGovernance and Policy Modeling projects: How to make the cutting edge R&D accessible for real use, in a shorter period of time.

Date: 27th January 2012

Time: 10am - 4pm

Venue: Showroom Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX.  The venue is a 2 minute walk from the railway station in the city centre.

Where helpful, we will use examples which will focus on sustainability/environmental policy for this event, but the tools presented are clearly widely adaptable.

Aims:

• To close the gap between the availability of cutting edge R & D in eGovernance and Policy Modelling and its take-up in local and central government. It will bring the new governance projects and those about to exploit their results into a collaborative environment.

• To link the projects currently creating the best practice of the future with initiatives seeking to share current best practice, thus assisting with “exploitation” of the new initiatives.

• To briefly assess how these initiatives may be of global benefit by examining how China may be encouraged to take a short cut to sustainable development and looking at joint approaches to China.

Attendees:

Those involved in the EU Framework Programme initiatives, those charged with spreading best practice and the policy makers and practitioners who would value advance knowledge of what will be available for them to use in the coming years.

Outline Agenda:

1. Introduction and background to the event.
   Baudouin de Sonis, Chief Executive of EU e-Forum, Brussels.

2. Presentations of what some current EU FP7 projects in the field of eGovernance and Policy Modelling are doing.  These will include:

   The IMPACT Project – new tools using copyright laws as an exemplar
   Professor Ann Macintosh, Professor of Digital Governance, Co-Director of the Centre for Digital Citizenship (The University of Leeds)
   www.policy-impact.eu

   The CATCH Project–new tools in a carbon-reduction context
   Dr Steve Cassidy, MRCMH, Edinburgh
   www.carbonaware.eu

   The FUPOL project- new tools in a sustainable development context
   South Yorkshire – EASY Connects
   www.fupol.eu

   Plus, other projects to confirm.

3. Policy making and the real world.  Presentations of two new Interreg IVC projects with South Yorkshire partners covering sharing of current best practice in environmental policy making, set in a wider vision for Sheffield.

   “Slicker Cities: Doing the right thing”
   Edward Murphy, Technical Director, Mott MacDonald
   Policies required to enable Sheffield to become an exemplar in tackling climate change.

   RE-GREEN Project, in context of Sheffield sustainable development policy.
   Adrian Hacket, Building for Future, Sheffield

   RENERGY Project
   Ian Bloomfield, Durham County Council

4. What Next?

   Presentation of event to take place in China in July to share best practice in governance and establish strong future collaborations.
   Dr Shaun Topham, President EU e-Forum and EU-China e-Forum

   Discussion covering opportunities for realising any synergies emerging between the various initiatives represented or for new initiatives.
   Dr Bridgette Wessels, ICOSS, University of Sheffield

Further information to follow as the programme takes shape and further suggestions are welcome. Please circulate this to anyone you think may be interested.

There is no registration fee. To reserve a place - please email: Dominic Tyerman. Let him have any dietary requests if needed.

2nd event: Berlin, 8th February 2012

Procedures and Tools to Support the Policy Making Process - Verfahren und Technologien zur Unterstützung des Gesetzgebungsprozesses

Date: 8th February 2012

Time: 13:30 - 17:30

Venue: tbd (Berlin-Tiergarten)

Attendees:

Decision makers and policy analysts from politics or public administration on all levels of government, from industry and civil society as well as e-participation practitioners.

Announcement:

Please save the date for this workshop to be held in Berlin, with hands-on experience of the IMPACT prototype tools.

The workshop is held in German language. Workshop participants might also be interested in two events that are locally and thematically, though not organisationally, related: The MEDIENFORUM Berlin on „Open Data, Open Government - Neue Regeln, neue (Medien-) Politik?“ (evening of 8th February) and the conference on "Bürgerschaftliche Mitverantwortung bei Planungs- und Entscheidungsprozessen" (7th February).

Further information on this event will follow soon in the next week.

In the last weeks this community has focused on general and introductory contributions on computer-supported policy argumentation. I hope that you found these interesting, and that you gained an idea of the questions raised in the field and the solutions discussed. As a final contribution to this introductory phase, below you can find a (non-comprehensive) list of weblogs that regularly discuss issues related to computer-supported argumentation.

Starting next week, we will move on in our agenda and present the work currently done in the IMPACT project. As you remember, the project is about developing tools to support the use of arguments in policy analysis and policy debates. These comprise four tools integrated in an argumentation toolbox. We are going to present each of the tools together with a scenario depicting its usage, and we would like to get comments from you and to discuss with you the possible impact of the tools.

We'll start with the "argument analysis, tracking and visualisation tool", developed under the responsibility of the Centre for Digital Citizenship at the University of Leeds.

For now, you might consider one of the following weblogs worth a click (non-comprehensive, work in progress, and in alphabetical order):

• ARG:dundee
  news / blog by the Argumentation Research Group of the University of Dundee
• Argumentation Technology
  weblog by Thomas F. Gordon, IMPACT coordinator, on computer-supported argumentation and e-participation / e-government
• Language Logic Law Software
  weblog by Adam Wyner, IMPACT collaborator, on just that: language, logic, law, and software development

• Legal Informatics Blog
  weblog on legal information systems and legal communication, including e-government
• PEP-NET
  weblog and network of people and organisations active in the field of e-participation throughout Europe (the Pan European eParticipation Network)
• Tim van Gelder's blog
  on argumentation, decision making and deliberative thinking

Any comments or additions are welcome!

As some participants have asked how this platform works, here are some answers on questions that might come up when you are using this platform. Please do not hesitate to ask the networks facilitator if some issues remain unclear!

Q: How can I post something on the network's blog or mailing list?

A: There are two ways to post something to all members of the network:

- by e-mailing to policy-argumentation@posterous.com. This is perhaps the most convenient way, it works like a mailing list.

- by visiting the network's web site http://policy-argumentation.posterous.com.
In this case, you have to create an account or log into your account in case you already have one. To create an account, you need to enter your e-mail address (the one where you received the network's e-mails) and to create your own user name and password. In the next step, you can visit the network's web site and post something on the blog. To log in to the site, klick on the "login" link in the upper right corner of the site.

Please note that only registered members of the Policy Argumentation Network are able to post something!

Q: I have set up an account on Posterous, but I cannot post from this account!

A: This might happen when Posterous is not able to match your account with your membership in the network. Please send a mail to Steffen Albrecht and he can register your Posterous account with the Policy Argumentation Network.

Q: How can I comment on a post?

A: You can simply reply to the e-mail notifying you of the post (make sure that you preserve the line "reply above this line..." in your reply). Or you log in to the web site and post your comment there.

Q: How can I provide information about myself?

A: All members are invited to provide some information on their background, their interests in the topic, their expectations etc. You can do this either by commenting on this post or by setting up a profile on Posterous. To set up your profile, click on the "Home" link in the upper right corner of the web site and you will be able to click on "Edit Profile" on the next page, the so-called "Posterous Spaces". Here, you can also change your notification settings and create your own Posterous blog.

Q: Why are some names listed on the web site as "contributors"?

A: All registered members of the network are "contributors" in the sense that they can post information and comments. However, only persons who have already posted something or who have set up a profile are listed on the starting page of the network's web site in the right-hand column under "Contributors". A list of all members is available for the members of the network.

Q: How is the network connected with Twitter and LinkedIn?

A: The network's Twitter account is used to disseminate information beyond the scope of the network. It is an additional channel to reach out to people interested in computer-supported policy argumentation, and it is used to send short messages not fitting into the blog.

The group on LinkedIn was established to make participation in the network more convenient for those who are active users of LinkedIn. All posts from the network are available via RSS in the group, and you can connect with other members on an individual basis and discuss with them about the issues posted on the network. 

Q: I know someone else who is interested in computer-supported policy argumentation? Can I invite her / him to the network?

A: Yes, we are grateful for anyone who can enrich this network with her or his experiences. Please send an e-mail to the facilitator of the network, Steffen Albrecht, to send out an invitation.

Welcome again! We have now finished the invitation process and are ready to start the Policy Argumentation Network.

The network currently has about 50 participants with diverse backgrounds in policy analysis, ranging from public administration and international organisations to business organisations, scientific institutions and e-participation facilitators. Together, we want to discuss how online software systems can be used to support the use of arguments in policy-making. We, the IMPACT partners as hosts of the network, will present work done in the IMPACT project, as well as by similar initiatives. We would like to hear from you about your experiences from day-to-day policy-making and policy-analysis and discuss what requirements emerge for software to support you in this practice. The aims of the network are thus twofold: to share information about computer-supported policy argumentation, and to link research and practice for mutual benefit.

You might view this network as a kind of online workshop: Some initial information is provided by the organisers, but the floor is open for everybody to contribute additional information, critical perspectives or issues that are relevant for the discussion. You can engage actively or sit back and listen, but sometimes we will explicitly call for contributions from all participants (see below!).

Our initial agenda for the rest of this year is as follows:

• We will start next week with an example of European policy making as a common reference: the consultation on the Green Paper on "Copyright in the Knowledge Economy" held by the EC in 2008.
• We will then present the work done in the IMPACT project in the areas of argument visualisation, policy modelling, structured consultation and argument reconstruction.
• We will ask for feedback on the requirements and design of software to support policy argumentation.
• We will show examples of tools and discuss their strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of policy practitioners.
• At the beginning of the next year, we are planning for a face-to-face meeting of network members.

But first of all, I would like to invite you to briefly introduce yourself and tell us something about your background and your expectations for this network. This would give all of us a better sense of this virtual community and the diversity of the participants. To do this, you can simply reply to this post, write a new post or you can use the profile provided by posterous. As my role is that of a facilitator, I tried to give an example here.

Furthermore, I would like to discuss the question of openness of the network. At the moment, all communication here is publicly visible, so that people interested in the topic can follow us. However, we might want to keep the interactions here more private. What is your opinion? Please tell me your view on this question - either as reply to this post or, if you prefer a more anonymous way, via e-mail.

Looking forward to your responses and comments!

There is widespread belief that the Internet and other digital technologies have the potential to broaden and deepen the democratic process, making it more transparent, inclusive and accessible and, as such, we are seeing the emergence of participative democracy across Europe. These technological developments are giving policy makers the potential to listen to citizens as they have not been able to do before.

In recent years, software tools to support the use of arguments have been transferred from their origin in training, business and legal reasoning to the policy domain. Tools to formulate, analyze and visualise arguments have great potential especially in policy debates, where they help organizers as well as participants to gain a better picture of the state of the debate and make their views heard more effectively. However, it is still a matter of research how best to use the power of such tools in actual policy practice.

The Policy Argumentation Network pursues two objectives. Firstly, to make accessible the state of the art of computer-supported argumentation in policy-making by connecting experts from the domains of policy-making, argumentation theory and argument visualisation, secondly, to enable discussion and participation in the design of our new tools to support the use of arguments in policy-making.

We welcome you as part of this network and invite you to share your expertise and experience!

Welcome to the start of the Policy Argumentation Network! Whether you're a policy analyst, a facilitator, a lobbyist or just someone interested in policy-making - we hope we can provide insights from computer-supported argumentation and stimulate a debate about how it can be applied in the policy-making domain.

The Policy Argumentation Network was initiated by the IMPACT project. The network is part of the project's activities to strengthen the link between argumentation researchers and practitioners of policy analysis and policy-making. As a member of the network, you will learn about current developments in computer-supported argumentation and you will be able to share your experiences and discuss your expectations of computer-supported argumentation. Occasionally, we will ask you to evaluate and discuss questions of software development and the impact on the political process.

This website on Posterous is the virtual home of the network. Members can post information (via the web or just an e-mail message) and discuss statements from other members. News, background information, reports from personal experience as well as opinions are welcome contributions. Please keep in mind that this website is open to the public (read-only) to allow newcomers to get to know the network.

The network's activities will spread out to other online social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn, but also to real-world activities like workshops. The network will initially run until the end of 2012, when the IMPACT project terminates, but once a community of practice is formed, we will together work out how to keep it alive independently.

We hope you will enjoy being part of the community and we look forward to your comments!

For the partners in the IMPACT project,
Steffen Albrecht (facilitator)