DigiBeSt – Possibilities and limits of digital participation tools for public participation in the site selection process
The project “Possibilities and limits of digital participation instruments for public participation in the site selection process (DigiBeSt)” was dedicated to researching target group-specific participation options for the socially relevant search for a final repository site.
The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), which commissioned the project, is obliged by the Site Selection Act (StandAG) to involve the general public in the repository site selection process. Against the background of digitalization and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim of the project was therefore to explore the possibilities and limits of digital participation instruments for public participation in the site selection process. The project was carried out in cooperation with the nexus Institute for Cooperation Management and Interdisciplinary Research in Berlin.
The specific questions addressed by the project were as follows
- After the COVID-19 pandemic, are there opportunities for the digitalization of information and deliberation events that were previously thought to be “non-digitizable”?
- How can young people, who are considered an important target group for participation in the repository siting issue, be involved in a target group-oriented manner?
- Which media, tools and platforms are particularly suitable for participation?
- How should information on the process and opportunities for participation be prepared, also in order to reach specific target groups?
In order to achieve the most informative results possible, the research project included a variety of analysis methods. These analysis methods included a review of the current state of research on digital participation, an impact study of target group-specific digital participation of young generations and a transdisciplinary workshop with digital participation experts. The results, from which recommendations for action for the BASE were to be derived, were summarized in a final report. BASE funded the project from February 2022 to July 2023.
Further information on the project can be found on the BASE project page and in the final report.