OVERVIEW

Digital Dialogues is an independent review of ways in which central government can use information and communication technology (ICT) to enable and enhance public engagement. It has been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and is carried out by the Hansard Society.

The initiative has three basic aims:

• To promote awareness of online engagement technology and techniques available to central government;

• To embed online engagement skills in central government;

• To evaluate a series of case studies in order to benchmark administrator and user demographics, attitudes and behaviours.

This work has been undertaken during three distinct phases.

The first, which lasted for eight months, sought to explore how government departments approached online engagement with stakeholders and the public; the evaluation was based on six case studies.

The second lasted for a year, evaluating twelve case studies – many of which tracked how government departments and agencies were developing online strategies based on learnings from phase 1.

The final phase lasted for twelve months, evaluating seven case studies – some of which focused on innovative approaches to embedding online engagement at different stages of the policy process. The final report will be published on this site shortly.

Links to each phase are provided below; underneath are links to all of the case studies.

PHASE ONE REPORT

Phase One (aka the Interim Phase) took place between December 2005 – August 2006.

• Read the Digital Dialogues Interim Report online.

• Download Digital Dialogues Interim Report [PDF 817kb].

PHASE TWO REPORT

Phase Two took place between August 2006 – August 2007.

• Read the Digital Dialogues Second Phase Report online.

• Download Digital Dialogues Second Phase Report [PDF 1.94mb].

• Download Digital Dialogues Second Phase Report/Executive Summary [PDF 117kb].

PHASE THREE REPORT

Phase Three took place between August 2007 –
August 2008

• Read the Digital Dialogues Third Phase Report online.

• Download Digital Dialogues Third Phase Report [PDF 3mb].

• Download Digital Dialogues Third Phase Report/Executive Summary [PDF 117kb].

DIGITAL DIALOGUES CASE STUDIES

• Downing Street – https://debategraph.org/MapView.aspx;

• Sustainable Development Commission Panel on Aviation – www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/sd_panel.html;

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office Blog – http://blogs.fco.gov.uk;

• Department for Work and Pensions generationXperience Blog – www.generationxperience.net;

• Office of National Statistics – www.ukcensusoutputs.net;

• Food Standards Agency – www.fsascience.net;

• Office of the Children’s Commissioner – http://shoutout.11million.org.uk/.

• Downing Street Webchats – www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11249.asp;

• Sustainable Development Commission Panel – www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/sd_panel.html;

• Law Commission Forum – http://forum.lawcom.gov.uk;

• Planning Portal Forum – www.planningportalforum.net;

• European Youth Parliament/FCO Forum – www.eyptalk.net;

• FSA Chief Scientist Blog – www.fsascience.net;

• ONS Small Area Geography Policy Review Blog – www.onsgeography.net;

• DfT Road Safety Webchat – www.dft.gov.uk/roadsaftey/webchat;

• Party Funding Review Forum – http://forum.partyfundingreview.gov.uk;

• Party Funding Review Webchat – http://chat.partyfundingreview.gov.uk;

• Family Courts Forum [general public] – www.familycourtsforum.net;

• Family Courts Forum [young people] – www.ofcf.net;

• DCLG Forum – http://forum.communities.gov.uk;

• David Miliband ministerial blog [Defra] – www.davidmiliband.defra.gov.uk.

• DfES Survey Site [live] – www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations;

• DWP Welfare Reform Forum – www.welfarereformforum.net;

• DCLG Webchats – www.tcrwebchat.net;

• Food Standards Agency Forum – www.food.gov.uk/sfbbforum.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this pilot, please contact email the eDemocracy Programme via eDemocracy[at]hansard[dot]lse[dot]ac[dot]uk.