Several municipalities are also using a new voting test for the 2014 municipal elections. With DeStemVan whatsapp number list a tool that I am helping to develop, citizens can not only fill out a questionnaire to receive voting advice. They can also submit their own ideas for their municipality and vote on the suggestions of others.
Step: Co-produce
The next step is co-production. Some examples:
Icelanders used crowdsourcing to draft the new constitution.
In Amsterdam, Amsterdam Opens was launched as a method to use citizens’ knowledge for the city.
Verbeterdebuurt.nl is an initiative where citizens can submit their problems and ideas about public space online. Municipalities can respond to this and pick up ideas together with citizens.
Initiatives in Amsterdam on Verbeterenbuurt.nl
Step: Decide
He who pays, decides? With this perspective, you can see crowdfunding as online participation in which citizens decide. In the United States, crowdfunding is already actively applied at party and campaign level. The increasing attention for platforms such as Kickstarter.com is also taking shape in the Netherlands.
Both the NetDem foundation and the municipality of Almere are in an experimental phase to singapore lead set up platforms where citizens and institutions can raise money online for their own projects. A second step is that the municipality itself makes resources available for initiatives from society retention is more important than acquisition . Could crowdfunding replace subsidies in this way?