Glossary E

eCommunities

These are a personalised, interactive ways for people and groups to communicate on the Internet, making it easy to exchange information among them no matter where they are located.

eConsultation

The process by which the opinions of individuals and stakeholders are solicited and recorded electronically.

eDemocracy

1.Use of electronic communications technologies, i.e. Internet, in enhancing democratic processes, usually by making them more accessible and by making citizen participation in public policy decision-making more direct.

2.The adaptation and enhancement of traditional democratic processes between elected representatives and citizens, over the internet. There is much debate on which processes should be made available in the electronic medium, although most would agree that eventually voting, petitions, consultations, and committee processes will all be online. (From dialoguecircles )

eDiscussion Forums

The use of chat-based systems that enable members of an online community (or visitors) to engage in a text dialogue, usually moderated from a central point in order to lead or guide a discussion and ensure the observance of any rules of participation. They are not to be confused with blogs.

eGovernment or eGov

The application of eBusiness technologies and strategies to government or public service organisations, with a view to harnessing new electronic methods of citizen interaction.

Notes:

  • The practice of prefacing a wide variety of conventional terms with the ‘e’ prefix has become fashionable, but this is considered by many to be a temporary phase, as virtually all activities become e-enabled
  • eConsultation and eDemocracy are regarded as specific applications within the wider generic subject of e-government

eParticipation

The use of ICT to open new channels for participation in the democratic process between elections.

Notes: This comprises eParticipation of citizens in:

  • Government’s policy process
  • The processes of policy making, law making and scrutiny by elected representatives
  • The processes of policy formulation in political parties and other civil society organisations.

eSurvey

A web-based document enabling a questionnaire to be completed on-line.

eVoting

eVoting (also known as electronic voting and including Internet voting and other online voting methods) is any of several means of determining people's collective intent electronically. Electronic voting includes voting by kiosk, internet, telephone, punch card, and optical scan ballot.

Employee Consultation

Where employers use consultation techniques to engage with their employees on a wide range of workplace-related issues.

Note:

  • The implementation of the European Directive for Employee Information  & Consultation in the UK (6 April 2005) applies to organisations employing 150 or more staff

Empowerment

The practice of providing decision-making power to individuals or organisations, often associated with redistributing responsibility from Managers to their team members.

Note:

  • In the context of social structures, to empower a community is to increase its ability to do things for itself and is therefore higher up the “Ladder of Participation” than consultation

Enabling Techniques

See Projective and enabling techniques

Engagement

Actions and processes taken or undertaken to establish effective relationships with individuals or groups so that more specific interactions can then take place.

See also Public Engagement also Stakeholder Engagement

Error

See Margin of Error

Ethics

See Research Ethics

Evaluation

Studying a consultation or public engagement process to assess it’s achievements and to help improve future practice

Exhibitions

Intended to inform the general public or a specified group – either to give them background knowledge to be used in a consultation or to inform of the resulting decisions. See also Open Days

Expert Forum

 

An expert forum allows participants to take part in discussions, share best practices, and request advice about effective strategies and solutions with leading experts and issue gurus.