The case study report „Citizen centric e-participation“ gives an overview of the political and administrative context in Estonia, Sweden and Iceland – to provide a backdrop for developments in e-government and e-democracy framework. The overall aim of comparing these three countries is to achieve a better understanding of the cultural, political and technological opportunities and challenges of e-participation, and  to contribute to the development of improved methods and processes of e-participation.

Each case study also describes a selection of top-down and grass-root efforts in e-participation. In the concluding section of each case study, authors comment on the potential of harnessing ICT in citizen centric governance in the particular context.

Engaging citizens in policy-making is an important aspect of the design and delivery of better public policies and a core element of what is sometimes called ”good government” or ”citizen-centric government”. Using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to gather and analyze public input is expected to stimulate public deliberation. The project explores links between standardized e-participation models and the particularities of local contexts.

The project is a trilateral collaboration project between Sweden, Estonia and Iceland, combining research with networking to enhance e-participation in three countries. The project network includes partners from local governments, experienced researchers in the field as well as software companies that are exploring new possibilities and markets.

The project, which is running between 2012-14, is funded by Vinnova, Rannis, Nordforsk & Estonian Ministry for Economic Affairs and Communications. The main partners include Örebro University, Praxis Center for Policy Studies, Citizens Foundation, imCode Partner, the City of Reykjavik and Haparanda and Borås municipalities.