Category Archives: Politics

From Athens to the Blockchain: Oracles for Digital Democracy

Posted on September 18, 2020 by

By  Marta Poblet, Darcy W. E. Allen, Oleksii Konashevych, Aaron M. Lane and  Carlos Andres Diaz Valdivia Oracles were trusted sources of knowledge for public deliberation in classical Athens. Very much like expert and technical knowledge, divine advice was embedded … Continue reading →

Posted in Blockchain, Collective intelligence, crowdsourcing, democracy, Open data, political crowdsourcing | Leave a comment

The Catalan tsunami: encrypting swarm intelligence

Posted on October 18, 2019 by

A Mediterranean tsunami is a rare, once-in-a-century event. A black swan. In Catalonia, the abnormal surge has taken the unique form of a “Democratic Tsunami”. On Monday 14 October, the Spanish Supreme Court sentenced 12 Catalan politicians and grassroots activists … Continue reading →

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Linked democracy: Foundations, Tools, and Applications

Posted on September 15, 2019 by

Citizens’ trust in democratic institutions is reaching new lows globally. The trust deficit primarily affects governments and representative institutions, but also media outlets and platforms spreading misinformation. In parallel, new forms of digital populism—bots, fake news, micro-targeting—are on the rise, … Continue reading →

Posted in crowdsourcing, democracy, Governance, Open data, political crowdsourcing, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sac i sort: vells i nous models de democràcia aleatòria

Posted on September 11, 2019 by

La tria aleatòria de ciutadans per ocupar diferents càrrecs i responsabilitats polítiques era un dels trets característics de la democràcia atenenca clàssica. Què suscita l’interès contemporani per la democràcia aleatòria i pel disseny d’institucions basades en el principi d’aleatorietat? El … Continue reading →

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Distributed, privacy-enhancing technologies in the 2017 Catalan referendum on independence: New tactics and models of participatory democracy

Posted on December 3, 2018 by

My paper on how civic groups leveraged distributed technologies in the 2017 Catalan referendum on independence is now available at First Monday. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/9402/7692 Abstract This paper examines new civic engagement practices unfolding during the 2017 referendum on independence in Catalonia. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blockchain, Law, mobile technologies, Open data, Politics, social media | Leave a comment

Inside Catalonia’s Cypherpunk Referendum

Posted on October 3, 2017 by

The referendum for independence in Catalonia on 1 October opens up an uncertain era for both Catalonia and Spain — a new period that may also impact the future of the European Union. Read the full piece here: https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=54133

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Democracy Models and Civic Technologies: Tensions, Trilemmas, and Trade-offs

Posted on May 27, 2017 by

Check out my pre-print with Enric Plaza at https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.09015 Abstract This paper aims at connecting democratic theory with civic technologies in order to highlight the links between some theoretical tensions and trilemmas and design trade-offs. First, it reviews some tensions … Continue reading →

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Catalonia in Europe: who will play the game?

Posted on November 6, 2014 by

The future relationship with the EU is a core issue in today’s debate about the independence of Catalonia. The slogan of the 2012 rally in Barcelona was “Catalonia, next state of Europe”, echoing the majoritarian desire within the independentist movement … Continue reading →

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Catalans step up independence push despite Spain’s firm ‘no’

Posted on September 15, 2014 by

By Marta Poblet, RMIT University and Pompeu Casanovas, RMIT University This article was first published on The Conversation on 11 th September 2014 For three years in a row, Catalans have taken to the streets on September 11, Catalonia’s national … Continue reading →

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On algorithms and croquettes: hashtag battles in Twitter politics

Posted on September 27, 2013 by

On 11 September 2013, Catalonia’s national day, approximately 1,600,000 Catalans joined hands along Catalonia’s coastline to form “The Catalan Way towards Independence” a 400-kilometre (250-mile) human chain. The Catalan Way was inspired in the 1989 Baltic Way chain that called … Continue reading →

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