Policy Brief 4
Civic engagement
Digitalisation varies in intensity and forms of manifestation across the NEB landscape. With overall high digitalisation levels, adaptive practices reveal a diverse NEB landscape, that as the same time faces common challenges while implementing adaptive digital and technological solutions. While this makes a mapping exercise challenging, it does reveal the fact that the NEB lives by its assumed principles of “beautiful”, “sustainable”, “together”, both in terms of practices and present challenges. Digitalisation should not be a goal in itself but rather a choice that fits the purpose for which it is used and the target group.
Key findings
Organisation size matters
Organisation size influences levels of digitalisation in different ways. Large organisations implement digital solutions in order to facilitate standardized processes, while agility allows smaller organisations to choose niche digital solutions.
NEB suffers from high volume of small scale initiatives
Small scale projects allow for fast absorption of funds through the NEB but they lack post-project long term sustainability. Visibility of the NEB project is hindered by a combination of high volume of small scale initiatives.
Middle segment of population not aware of NEB
A vertical analysis of NEB initiatives reveals that there is a gap in the middle segment of the general population regarding the visibility of the NEB programme, with awareness being polarized between the professionals developing and deploying NEB initiatives and project level implementation initiatives.
Choice of digital solutions influenced by interaction between professionals and beneficiaries
Differences between NEB professionals and end beneficiaries regarding levels of digitalisation, influence the choice of digital solutions there where interaction takes place between the two categories, as digital solutions become a bridge between end beneficiaries and developers or public entities.
Perception: no easy way to interact with each other
Despite existing initiatives for a NEB community, the perception in the community is that there is no easy way for members to interact with each other.
Non-profit sector face hiring and resources challenge
The non-profit sector is faced with challenges regarding the attraction of digital savvy personnel and competition for material resources.
Upscaling innovation challenge in large organisations
Upscaling of innovations proves a challenge, especially in large organisations.
Potential of low barrier technology for wide engagement
While AI is used for facilitating citizen engagement in the decision-making process, low barrier technology can be used for wide engagement.
Cascading effect
Digitalisation choices have a cascading effect throughout the interconnected NEB ecosystem.
Digital need for end-of-life stage construction projects
Digital solutions dedicated to the end-of-life stage of construction projects are needed.
Potential for a ageing society
Digital solutions can address the challenges faced by an ageing population, including combating loneliness and the use of AI and robotic solutions in the home.
Recommendations
Need for system thinking
Due to interoperability and cascading effects of technological choices, system thinking is needed when choosing digital solutions.
Digitalisation should be a free choice
Digitalisation should happen by choice not by compulsion and according to the fit between the needs and literacy levels of end users and providers. Choice implies having both digital and analogue alternatives in place. Digitalisation initiatives must be sustained by a natural uptake and not enforced in environments that are not suited for digitalisation or are impermeable to it.
Digital solutions for living environment
The living environment is also in need of more digital solutions.
Need for horizontal coherence
Cross EU and NEB landscape horizontal coherence of NEB specific initiatives is needed, together with dissemination mechanisms for showcasing both coherence and cumulated impact.
Human digital tools
Characteristics for digital tools should include user design and “humanness”.