Formal Aspects of Online Petition Platforms: Anglos Public Systems and Private Option in Spain

Abstract

Petitions can be defined as specific demands on government institutions signed by citizens. On the Internet, this kind of participation has developed new possibilities in relation with the administration feedback, accessibility and flexibility or cost savings, for example (Juris, 2005). In essentially Anglo- Saxon countries, political powers have developed platforms to manage this form of participation, such as the Scottish Parliament, the Bundestag, or Norwegian municipalities (Lindner & Riehm, 2011). However, in Spain these initiatives have had to be channeled through private alternatives. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between Change.org, which is one of these sites, to define its operation and confront the formal features of each of the models. To achieve these goals, we performed a qualitative content analysis of the website of Change.org. We analyze the process of creating and signing petitions, the discussion forums, the structure of the home page and the user possibilities to contact the members of the page. The results of the field work show different results on Change regarding public platforms of e-petitions. Thus, this tool for petitions noted for its simple design and its instructions and user guides that facilitate quick and easy participation by users. However, limited spaces of deliberation and scanty possibilities of contact with Change.org team and users distance the page to a public model of online petitions.