Bürgerbeteiligung

Project

Our research and discussions with politicians in Munich had shown that, albeit desirable, there was a lack of easily accessible political participation opportunities for citizens. Suggestions, questions, etc. regarding various topics in Munich such as infrastructure, culture, or the citizen’s budget ("Bürgerbudget") had to be handed to the persons responsible via mail, email, or telephone. We believed that this process was rather effortful and might have been an obstacle for many people who wanted to share their thoughts or even comment on others’ opinions. With this in mind, our goal was to develop a new digital platform that simplified civic participation.

Status

Our platform, muc.me , was launched on August 9, 2018.

Research Question

Regarding the scientific part of this project, we were particularly interested in how the platform was perceived by its users and how this influenced the type (e.g. age, profession, residence in Munich) of users that actively visited it. Our ultimate goal was to define criteria that made such a platform as attractive as possible for a large group of Munich’s citizens.

Project Team