Developing a software-based platform for strengthening public participation in Greece

In recent decades there has been a significant shift in decision-making centers to expand public participation in the decision-making process, with the aim of integrating the different perspectives and priorities of citizens and stakeholders in policy making and developing and implementing action plans, operational programmes etc. The ability for underrepresented or marginalized groups of the population to express their views and be heard, expands the scope and subject matter of public discourse, leading to a more accurate assessment of the public interest and better social choices. In other words, it contributes decisively to making right and fair decisions. In this respect, this paper aims to showcase a software-based platform that is designed to enhance public participation in the decision-making process, allowing all interested stakeholders and relevant beneficiaries to join decision makers for jointly designing and eventually selecting the most effective combinations of actions, customised to a specific pre-defined problem of energy or socioeconomic nature, using crowdsourcing techniques and methods of modelling, simulating and evaluating options using open data and global system dynamics.