Pilots & Experiments
Piloting the M4D2 approach and Participatory Spaces
The Participatory Spaces was tested within a piloting stage carried out in schools and universities in a selected number of the countries used for the deliberative mini-publics experiment.
The aim of this testing phase was both design-related and theoretical. On the one hand, working with students allowed EuComMeet to assess whether the system works effectively, and which technical or procedural features needed to be adjusted. These deliberative events allowed us to pilot test the feasibility and effectiveness of the M4D2 approach before approaching the general public, in addition to experimenting deliberative training with young citizens who are still in the education system.
In particular, the test conducted in one high school and one university in two cities for each selected country.
Yet, it was understood that pilot projects needed to be embedded in the existing political systems that are basically centered around political representation. With this in mind and with a view at bringing EU political representatives in direct contact with EU citizens, EuComMeet brought into the testing stage also the policymakers, so that a dynamic interaction among them, other stakeholders, citizens and experts was facilitated.
Common features to all pilots in Schools and Universities
Acknowledging that the educational system plays a fundamental role in promoting deliberative attitudes, behaviors and practices, testing M4D2 with a unique sample of young “Citizens of the future” allowed EuComMeet to address key aspects of research on deliberation that had not been addressed before.
Students were randomly selected based on certain features, such as extreme vs. non-extreme positions on the selected issues, or the degree of openness towards European integration. The deliberative events lasted for a period of 6 months and allowed us to test the key features of the M4D2 before starting the deliberative events with the general public in the “Make it Happen” phase. Students were be able to interact at multiple stages: locally (with the students from the same school or university), nationally (with the students from the other city in the same country), and at the European level (with the students from the other countries). Four classes of 16-17 years old students in each high school and two classes of 19-20 years old students in universities were selected.
Two questionnaires, one before and another after the deliberative testing were administered to a) all high school students from the same cohort in the selected school and b) all bachelor students from the same cohort in the selected university. Also, high school teachers were surveyed, in order to track their feedback and opinions regarding the deliberative process.
By the same token, people with disabilities were actively involved in testing the EuComMeet Participatory Spaces, especially its accessibility, usability and interface design.
Survey Pilot fieldwork
Citizens’ data were gathered through a survey of citizens in five European countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland), and it consisted of a representative sample of individuals residing in two large/medium-sized cities (n≈1,000 per city; n≈2,000 per country) and a representative sample of the national population (n=2,000 per country). The survey, based on a 15-20 minutes questionnaire, was conducted online, by using a Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) methodology.
To ensure the feasibility and to overcome the problems the survey may have entailed as well as to test the questionnaire, we developed a pilot case using Spain. If changes in data collection protocols and questionnaires were very minor between the pilot and the final design, we would have added those cases to the final dataset, whereas, if changes were significant, they would only have been used as a pre-test.
Survey fieldwork was then undertaken in five countries. After making the necessary changes in the data collection protocol and questionnaires, we translated the questionnaires and develop an online survey.
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