Sustainable eParticipation Through Lightweight Democracy?

Sustainable eParticipation is defined as participation projects that last and become part of the democratic process. Many eParticipation projects fail in this regard. The eParticipation literature presents many studies and test, but few report on the aspects that can make tools and initiatives sustainable over time. The past decade’s rise of populist rhetoric and populist parties in the west shows the urgency of finding good answers to the question of sustainability in eParticipation. In this paper, we argue that lightweight eParticipation initiatives, with low demands on time and effort from citizens, can contribute to sustainable eParticipation. We test this assumption through an evaluation of a Norwegian eParticipation system for low-threshold rapid feedback. Our findings indicate that while the system showed promise and was well received, there were still issues with sustainability, especially related to strategy and financing.