Brunel Business School is leading an international consortium of academics which has won a multi-million pound grant to develop mobile phone technologies to involve citizens in policy-making.
The project will develop user-friendly technologies and platforms which can be installed on mobile phones to allow the public to input directly into policy-making, by giving feedback on issues affecting their daily lives. The project is designed to prove the ability and need for the creation of applications that are public sector-focused.
The three-year UbiPOL (Ubiquitous Participation for Policy Making) Project has received a total grant of 2.7 million (2.4 million) from the European Union, with 400,000 awarded to Brunel Business School, whose Dean, Professor Zahir Irani is co-ordinating the consortium.
The other members involved in the project are Barnsley Metropolitan Council (UK); telecommunications company Turksat, web map provider Basarsoft, and Sabanci University (all from Turkey); innovation, communications and technology companies PDM&FC (Portugal), IPA SA (Romania), and Fraunhofer FOKUS (Germany); and the Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary).
“This project will develop a mechanism by which the public can access local government at their fingertips and, more importantly, give feedback and suggestions which can then be considered by policy-makers. It will be a public sector version of the private sector revolution we are witnessing following the launch of the applications we now see on mobile devices, the difference being (that) UbiPol will promote apps that lead to social cohesion through Government ,” says Professor Zahir Iran, Dean of Brunel Business School. “All too often, members of the public feel disengaged from local policy,  but this new system of e-government will give them instant access to services and information, and put the power in their hands – literally.”
Dr Habin Lee, from Brunel Business School, notes that technological advances in mobile communication have led to the development of mParticipation (mobile participation) systems, allowing the public to be involved in policy making processes even on the move. But he adds that these systems are only successful if users are committed to the process and feel motivated to contribute, and he says a key issue the UbiPOL project will address, is lack of participation.
“Research has shown that one of the reasons that citizens are de-motivated is an ignorance about relevant policies and the policy making processes in governments, says Dr. Lee. However, the more they find connections between their usual life activities and relevant policies, the more they become proactive or motivated to be involved in the policy-making process.”
UbiPOL aims to provide relevant information to users who will be alerted to policies and processes while on the move, targeting relevant information to users based on their location. The technology will also enable users to send information to their local council via their mobile phone, on issues including transport, parking, planning, environmental issues and health and safety. Problem roads could, for example, be given a 'yellow card' by users and this feedback could help create 'red zones' on a geographical map, identifying an area which needs consideration by policy-makers. Once developed, the technology will be tested in the UK and Turkey for policy making processes in four areas: environment, urban planning, household management, and health & safety.
“We will be developing an effective technology which will be scalable for a large population. It will be a pull-push system with users pulling in the information they need, wherever they are, and pushing out feedback to policymakers,” says Professor Irani.