The Public Policy Online Participation Platform: A Digital Democracy Gym Starting from "Submit Ideas"

30-Second Overview:
The Public Policy Online Participation Platform (JOIN Platform) is not merely a "wish pool" for collecting public opinion, but a "gym" where citizens exercise democratic resilience. Since its establishment in 2015, it has broken the deadlock of traditional representative politics, allowing more than 1/4 of participants under the age of 18 to help set the national direction. From the proposal to mint a coin featuring the "10-Nt Dollar Bento Grandma" to the labor rights controversy surrounding "Three-Day Weekends," it has witnessed over 200 successful proposals drive the rigid gears of the civil service system into motion through 5,000 signatures.

Another Revolution Beyond the 486 Computer: From "No Explanation" to "Open Talk"

In 2012, the Executive Yuan launched an advertisement titled the "Economic Vitality Enhancement Plan." The ad, citing that policies were too complex to be explained in "a few words," urged citizens to simply "support it." This arrogant stance of "no explanation" unexpectedly ignited the spark of Taiwan’s civic tech community, g0v (Zero Hour Government) ¹. The internet generation at the time felt deeply angry: if the government cannot explain clearly, then the people will write clear code.

This energy peaked after the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement, when the government realized that traditional one-way propaganda could no longer meet the challenges of an online society. In 2015, driven by the National Development Council, the "Public Policy Online Participation Platform" (JOIN Platform) officially went live ². This platform was not conceived out of thin air; it was modeled after the US White House’s "We the People" website, with its core mission being to return the "agenda-setting power" partially from politicians to citizens.

Digital Policy Commissioner Audrey Tang (唐鳳) once pointed out that this was not about requiring citizens to enter bureaucratic spaces, but rather bringing technology to the fields where citizens live. This revolution was not just an update of tools, but a slight adjustment of power structures ¹.

📝 Curator’s Note: Democracy is not just voting every four years, but the dialogue in front of screens every day at 2 p.m.

Six Core Services: The All-Around Entry to Digital Democracy

The JOIN Platform offers six functional modules, constructing a complete civic participation path from "proposal" to "supervision."

1. Submit Ideas (Electronic Petition)

Citizens can offer suggestions on public policies. After verification, signature collection is opened. Proposers can designate the competent authority.

• Threshold: A proposal becomes successful if it receives 5,000 signatures within 60 days.
• Response Mechanism: The competent authority must provide a specific response within 60 days after the proposal becomes successful ³.
• Suspension Mechanism: To avoid affecting election neutrality, proposal and signature collection are suspended 60 days before national election voting days.
• Collaborative Discussion: If the proposal content is not yet mature, it can first be brainstormed with netizens in the "Collaborative Discussion" section.

2. Open Talk (Policy Consultation)

Government agencies proactively propose information on policies being planned or about to be implemented, allowing citizens to participate in discussions. The draft announcement period is usually 60 days, enhancing the transparency of policy formation ⁴.

3. Supervise (Administrative Supervision)

Openly displays the execution status of major projects managed by various ministries and commissions of the Executive Yuan, including budget progress and current execution status, ensuring administration is no longer a black box ⁴.

4. Participatory Budgeting

Allows citizens to directly participate in the formulation of government budgets. The process includes "announcing needs," "citizen proposals," and "voting participation," implementing the principle of "deciding for yourself how your tax money is spent" ⁵.

5. Find the Minister (Opinion Mailbox)

Compiles the email addresses of the heads of various ministries and commissions of the Executive Yuan, establishing a digital channel for direct contact between citizens and decision-makers ⁴.

6. Participatory Audit

Joined by the Audit Division of the Control Yuan on March 1, 2017, promoting "Civic Participatory Audit." Citizens can provide audit suggestions for specific public affairs, making audit work closer to public sentiment ².

Chronological Case Library: When Ideas Collide with the System

The JOIN Platform has accumulated over 200 successful proposals. The following are indicative cases organized by year, reflecting the flow and conflict of Taiwan’s social values.

2017: Identity and a Warm Society

• Minting a "Bento Grandma" Zhuang Zhuyu Female Portrait on the 10-Nt Coin: Successful on July 29, 2017. The proposer hoped to commend the grandmother’s long-term good deeds of providing 10-Nt bento meals. The Central Bank ultimately rejected it, citing that "the revision process is complex and costly" ⁶⁷.
• Activate Nuclear Units 1 and 4 and Develop Green Energy: Successful on August 11, 2017. Influenced by the July 29 power shortage crisis, the proposal demanded stable power supply. The Ministry of Economic Affairs responded that it would maintain the "Nuclear-Free Homeland" goal but accelerate energy transition ⁸.
• Adjust Time Zone to GMT+9: Successful on October 19, 2017. The proposer hoped to break away from China’s time zone (GMT+8). After the Ministry of the Interior held collaborative meetings, it was deemed that changing the time zone would not solve the issue of national identity, and it was ultimately not adopted ⁹¹⁰.
• National Phased Ban on Disposable Tableware: Successful on June 13, 2017. Proposed by high school student Wang Xuanru, it led to the Environmental Protection Administration expanding the scope of plastic restrictions starting in 2018 ¹¹¹².

2020: Digital Sexual Violence and Protection of Minors

• Severely Punish Nth Room-Style Sexual Exploitation: Successful on April 9, 2020. Influenced by the South Korean Nth Room incident, civic groups proposed increasing criminal penalties. The Ministry of Health and Welfare subsequently held a legislative revision consultation meeting, leading to amendments in relevant regulations ¹³.

2021: Grassroots Movements and Sports Environment

• Thousand Feet Plan (Community-Type Soccer Fields): Successful on May 15, 2021. Proposed that the government encourage the establishment of small and medium-sized community soccer fields. The Sports Commission adopted the suggestion, incorporating it into the plan to enrich national sports environments ¹⁴.

2023: Labor Rights Revolution and Educational Reflection

• Stop the "2030 Bilingual Policy": Successful on April 14, 2023. The proposer argued that the bilingual policy violated the National Language Development Act. The Ministry of Education responded that it would make minor policy adjustments, emphasizing "English-friendliness" ¹⁵.
• Pilot Three-Day Weekends: Successful on April 26, 2023. The Personnel Administration of the Executive Yuan rejected it, citing "insufficient labor force" and "impact on industrial competitiveness" ¹⁶¹⁷.
• Abolish Motorcycle-Only Lanes and Two-Stage Left Turns: Successful on November 3, 2023. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications responded that it would retain local government flexibility and continue to evaluate open road sections ¹⁸.
• Formulate a Schedule for Opening Highways to Large Heavy Motorcycles: Successful on November 10, 2023. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications rejected it, citing safety and insufficient social consensus ¹⁹.

2024: ACG Creation and Extreme Penalties

• Appropriateness of Regulating ACG Creation under the Act on Prevention and Punishment of Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youths: Successful on February 7, 2024. The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a collaborative meeting, reaching a consensus that "if virtual products involve no real minors harmed, they should return to the classification system" ²⁰.
• Death Penalty as the Sole Punishment for Child Abuse Resulting in Death: Successful on March 14, 2024. Influenced by the Taipei child abuse case. The Ministry of Justice responded that the death penalty as the sole punishment is inconsistent with international human rights conventions and the principle of proportionality, and it will study increasing penalties ²¹.

The "Plumbers" of Democracy: Collaborative Meetings and the PO System

To ensure that online proposals are not just a "wish pool," backend administrative reform is key. The government has established "Open Government Liaison Officers" (Participation Officers, or POs) in various ministries. These individuals are like plumbers in the democratic system, responsible for connecting the pipelines between civil society and bureaucracy ¹.

Technical Architecture of Collaborative Meetings

Whenever a proposal becomes successful, the PO convenes a "Collaborative Meeting." This is not the traditional scenario of officials sitting in rows listening to lectures, but an invitation for proposers, opponents, experts, and stakeholders to dialogue at the same table.

• Slido Anonymous Q&A: Breaks the sense of authority, allowing the sharpest questions to surface.
• Public Transcripts: Ensures information equality, as everyone’s statements become historical records ⁹.
• Mind Maps (Miro/D2): Structures chaotic disputes, finding the greatest common denominator between both sides.

International Evaluation and Challenges: Exporting the Taiwan Model

Taiwan’s digital participation model has received frequent praise in evaluations by the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the OECD, being viewed as a paradigm of "digital governance countering authoritarianism" ²²¹³. However, the platform still faces challenges such as "low success rate," "boilerplate responses," and the "digital divide" ²³¹⁴.

Conclusion: Sweating in the Democracy Gym

Audrey Tang (唐鳳) once said that democracy is like a "civic gym"; you cannot expect to become strong automatically just by buying a membership (voting). You must go in and sweat, exercise ⁵. The existence of the Public Policy Online Participation Platform allows those left out by the law and those squeezed out by ballots to find a barbell belonging to them in this digital gym, lifting the weight of citizenship.

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