| Aihe / Topic |
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26. Studying digital participation using Big Data analytics
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| Kuvaus / Description |
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About a half-century ago, Sherry Arnstein (1969, 216) claimed that the cornerstone of citizen participation is “the redistribution of power” by engaging have-not citizens in policy-making processes. While its mission is still far off, the landscape of citizen participation has shifted towards virtual spaces. People increasingly participate in democratic decision-making by collectively identifying problems, discussing alternatives, and deciding optimal solutions via digital platforms, creating extensive citizen-generated data and new research opportunities.
Nevertheless, digital participation research is still in the early stage. One of the primary reasons is the difficulties in synthesising traditional theory-driven (e.g., governance theory and deliberation theory) and data-driven approaches (e.g., data mining and machine learning) necessary for exploring the phenomena. This post suits students who equip the two approaches but face difficulties in melting within a thesis. A possible list of (master) thesis topics is as follows but not limited to:
– Evaluation of digital participation
– (Single, comparative, and longitudinal) case study of digital participation
– New methodological solutions for democratic indicators
– Utilising open APIs for monitoring citizen participatory activities
– Social media analysis
– Institutional design for combining online and offline processes
Due to the topics of interest, students are expected to be proficient in programming languages (e.g., Python or R). International cases are especially welcomed.
Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), 216–224. |
| Toivottu aloitusaika / Preferred time of beginning |
|
01/04/2023 |
| Mahdollisuus harjoitteluun / Internship Opportunity |
|
Ei/ No |
| Mahdollisuus palkkion tai palkan maksuun / Possibiity to pay a fee or salary |
|
Ei/ No |
| Ilmoituksen viimeinen voimassaolo / The topic offer is valid till |
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01/03/2025 |
| Opiskelualat / Field of Studies |
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Social sciences |
| Organisaatio / Organization |
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Centre for Consumer Society Research |
| Yhteyshenkilö / Contact Person |
|
Bokyong Shin |
| Sähköposti / Email |
|
bok-yong.shin@helsinki.fi |