A model building tool to support group deliberation (eDelib): A research note

Abstract

A significant area within e-government is concerned with systems to support democratic policy formation and decision making processes. In modern government, both local and national, consultation with interested parties is an important element in maintaining the democratic process. To date, online consultation tools have used existing software tools, which are simple text based tools that were not tailored to the process. This project proposes to investigate to what extent a model building tool can be developed to support group deliberation and consensus building in consultation. Using discourse analysis, computer supported argument visualisation, and ontological engineering it will create argument maps that will serve not only to inform participants but also act as an archival record of the consultation. We hypothesise that a model building tool can be designed to constructively encourage informed debate and deliberation on policy issues by a broad public.