=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3049/paper37
|storemode=property
|title=Citizen-Centric Socio-Cognitive Model for Societal Participation
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3049/Paper37.pdf
|volume=Vol-3049
|authors=Iikka Pietilä,Niina Meriläinen,Jari Varsaluoma,Kaisa Väänänen
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/egov/PietilaMVV21
}}
==Citizen-Centric Socio-Cognitive Model for Societal Participation==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3049/Paper37.pdf
Citizen-Centric Socio-Cognitive Model for Societal
Participation
Iikka Pietilä*, Niina Meriläinen**, Jari Varsaluoma***, Kaisa
Väänänen****
*Human-Technology Interaction, Unit of Computing Sciences, Tampere University, iikka.pietila@tuni.fi
**Department of Social Sciences, Tampere University, niina.merilainen@tuni.fi
***Human-Technology Interaction, Unit of Computing Sciences, Tampere University,
jari.varsaluoma@tuni.fi
****Human-Technology Interaction, Unit of Computing Sciences, Tampere University,
kaisa.vaananen@tuni.fi
Abstract: To enable sustainable development of societies the frameworks through which the
services that facilitate participation need to consider various human aspects. Previously created
(e)participation (Electronic and non-electronic participation) frameworks have been process and
system oriented. In this paper, a novel model draft to describe (e)participation is proposed. The
model provides a multidisciplinary theoretical framework to support research of (e)participation
and a tool to support activity planning and impact assessment for the public and 3rd sector actors.
Keywords: eParticipation, societal participation, framework, model
Acknowledgements: ALL-YOUTH project funded by Strategic Research Council within the Academy
of Finland & JÄLKES-Research project funded by Helsingin Sanomat Foundation
1. Introduction
Societal participation refers to activities through which people take part in societal or decision
making processes. These can include e.g., voting, discussing politics (Pietilä et al., 2019), political
party activities (Harris et al., 2010), community services, (Adler & Goggin, 2005), and contacting
representatives (Weber et al., 2003). In this paper, societal participation is regarded as a broad term
that also includes latent participation (Ekman & Amnå, 2012) and other activities that have been
considered informal and non-parliamentary, e.g., demonstrations, consumer choices, boycotts, and
sharing contents online. (Stolle & Hooghe, 2011; Meriläinen and Piispa, 2020; Meriläinen, 2021).
eParticipation is a form of societal participation (E.g., Meriläinen, 2021; Pietilä et al., 2019).
Jaakkola (2020) defines theory synthesis as integrating concepts over different theoretical
approaches and models as frameworks which describe relations between constructs. Previous
frameworks and models have enabled dissecting eParticipation into separate domains of
stakeholders and tools (Kalampokis et al., 2008) and operating on service acceptance (Panopoulou
et al., 2018). Also, descriptive models (Sæbø et al., 2010) and taxonomies (E.g., Sæbø et al., 2008;
Copyright ©2021 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
332 Posters
Susha & Grönlund, 2012) have been created. Moreover, the more traditional ladder-style models for
participation (Arnstein, 1969) have been criticized for their lack of applicability (Grönlund, 2009).
eParticipation research lacks models that enable operating on participation through external,
activity, and internal levels explicitly. We propose a model which provides a step towards a unified
integrative framework for broader conceptualisation of eParticipation and societal participation.
2. Model Proposition
Figure 1: Citizen-centric socio-cognitive model for societal participation
As described in Figure 1, the External layer consists of artefacts, which may include individual
platforms and services that enable conducting participation. Processes, communities, community
members, decision-makers and officials, and agenda transfer also reside in the external layer.
Activity layer is further divided into manifesting and non-manifesting categories. Manifesting
participation denotes all the activities that take form outside an individual and are executed by an
individual, such as NGO activities or voting. Non-manifesting participation signifies activities that
do not take form outside an individual, e.g., information search and consumption. Internal layer
refers to the participation-related phenomena, which take place only inside an individual, such as
opinion formation and societal participation self-efficacy. The Layers are linked to theory in Table 1.
Table 1: Examples of concepts included in the model and related research (Tentative, incomplete)
External Artefact user experience (Pietilä et al., 2021a;2021b), Transfer of agendas and frames (E.g.,
layer McCombs and Reynolds, 2009; Meriläinen 2021; Meriläinen 2014), Artefact / eParticipation
service acceptance (Panopoulou et al., 2018)
Activity Latent participation (Ekman & Amnå, 2012), Digital participation (Pietilä et al.,
layer 2019;2021a;2021b), eParticipation (E.g., Sæbø et al., 2007), political participation (Pietilä et al.,
2021b; van Deth, 2001)
Internal Societal participation self-efficacy (Pietilä et al., 2021a; Bandura, 1977; Solhaug, 2006; Condon &
layer Holleque, 2013), having one’s voice heard, opinion formation, appraising new views
The model recognises (e)participation as a complex set of processes that are interconnected with
e.g., social, and cognitive resources. As a theoretical framework it enables a transdisciplinary
approach by providing a lens to operate on participation through different epistemological and
disciplinary perspectives (See e.g., Boon & Baalen, 2019) (Figure 2). Furthermore, the model enables
analysis and compartmentalisation of e.g., participation at activity level. This can support for
instance activity planning and impact assessment among 3rd and public sector actors. (Figure 3).
Posters 333
Figure 2: Transdisciplinary disposition
Figure 3: Oversimplification of voting process structured with the model
3. Limitations and Outlook
The model is developed in Finland, in a democratic state, and thus its generalisability and
applicability in e.g., developing countries is limited. Wide theoretical elaboration of the included
concepts is restricted due to publication page limit. As the model is incomplete, there are various
limitations in specifications. In the future, the model is further developed and applied in theoretical
and empirical research. Also, the model will be evaluated with public and 3rd sector actors.
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About the Authors
Iikka Pietilä
Iikka Pietilä is a doctoral researcher at Tampere University in Finland in the research group of Human-
Technology Interaction at the Unit of Computing Sciences. His doctoral research focuses mainly on the user
psychology and user experience regarding digital services and platforms that aim to enable the youth's
participation in democratic and societal processes.
Niina Meriläinen
Niina Meriläinen is a researcher at Tampere university, in the Department of Social Sciences, Finland. Niina
specializes in multidisciplinary human rights, narratives and power relations research. Niina has worked in
numerous national and international research projects as well as a researcher in Finland and in Germany.
Her research focused on human rights and political participation of vocational school students, user-based
design of digital interactive technologies and power relations in political decision-making.
Jari Varsaluoma
Varsaluoma (PhD) is working as a post-doc researcher in the research group of Human-Technology
Interaction, at the Unit of Computing Sciences in Tampere University, Finland. Varsaluoma’s doctoral
research focused on supporting digital product development with user experience goals, usage data analytics
and long-term evaluations. He has over 10 years of research experience from human-technology interaction
projects in close collaboration with industry in domains such as mobile learning, wearable wellness
technology and machinery automation. He has been in the board of SIGCHI Finland association since 2014.
Varsaluoma’s current research work focuses on supporting youth’s societal participation with digital means.
Kaisa Väänänen
Kaisa Väänänen is a full professor of user experience (Human-Computer Interaction, software engineering)
in Tampere University, Finland. Kaisa leads the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE) in the
unit of Computing Sciences. She has extensive teaching and supervision experience we well as leadership of
study programmes. Kaisa has 25 years of experience in research related to human- computer interaction
both in university and industry. In 1995-2004, she worked at Nokia Inc, in leading positions of user needs
research and strategic consumer insights. Kaisa’s research interests cover user experience and human-
centered design, with emphasis on design research of digital services for advancing sustainability and
human-centered AI. Kaisa is an author of >160 peer-reviewed academic publications. She is very active in
the international research community, and frequently takes part in organizing conferences related to user
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experience and human-computer interaction. In 2013-2018, Kaisa served full six years as a member of
Academy of Finland’s research council for Natural Sciences and Engineering.