This section of our site will include details on our methodological approaches to studying deliberation, participation, and other features of online democracy, as well as how to measure such outcomes as political self-confidence and institutional trust. It will also share what we learn about how to handle the flood of data that comes from digital tech, as well as the ethical issues that arise in such research.

At this time, the only methodological detail in this project comes in the form of a 2020 National Science Foundation proposal, “Increasing Public Confidence in Government through Deliberative Online Engagement,” from Victoria Alsina Burgues (at NYU when submitted) and project leader John Gastil. Though not funded, it provides some insight into the some of the approaches we might take.

Working with Civic Genius, we have also submitted a proposal to NSF that proposes experimenting with online deliberation as a means of eliciting public input on service/resource delivery to address inequity in Lexington, Kentucky. If funded, this study of public discussions on early childhood education could provide a model for how to conduct deliberation online. (For those interested in such things, this was a Stage 2 submission to the NSF CIVIC program. If you’re considering applying, you’re welcome to also look at our Stage 1 proposal.)