mCommunity

Citizens in North Macedonia have low expectations of local authorities about transparency and accountability. mCommunity is an interactive digital platform with multilevel administrative panels to empower civil society and local government. In practice, the citizen participation methods commonly used, public hearings, surveys, or focus groups, are impractical, requiring selection, briefing and expertise, as well as time to organize, while disconnected from the capacity of local governments to absorb citizen preferences. mCommunity redefines the concept of civic participation by introducing innovative ways of involvement: m-participation! By going mobile, people experience more ways to participate in terms of time and location, allowing for more participants.

The mCommunity platform has recorded 578 local actions in response to initiatives by residents, pertaining to recycling, infrastructure improvement or general well-being. Among the solutions provided by the municipality, – with an overall response rate of 54% – the most far-reaching is the reconstruction of 52 playgrounds, including facilities for children with disabilities. Go mobile to create the best city possible!

Jury Evaluation:

mCommunity is an interactive digital platform that empowers citizens of Municipality of Karpos in North Macedonia to effectively communicate with their local authorities through the concept of mobile participation. This project is outstanding due to the fact that it is the only project in this category that has measurable and tangible results that have direct impact on citizens’ lives. It tackles the persisting problem of low public participation, due to traditional methods, such as public meetings and other forms being challenging. At the time of project application, the mCommunity platform had 578 recorded actions in form of requests registered by the residents varying from recycling, infrastructure improvement and wellbeing. Amongst many solutions provided by the municipality with 54% response rate, the most relevant is reconstruction of 52 playgrounds, including development of facilities for children with disabilities. In terms of sustainability, although there might be challenges with the change of the local government, this project has potential to expand in other municipalities in the country, making it an excellent opportunity to increase of public participation, which is one of the crucial pillars of democracy. – EYA Jury report