LFAGROUP:LearningforAction CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK1

CASESTUDY:ASHOKANEWS&KNOWLEDGEFELLOW
GREGORHACKMACK(GERMANY)

GREGORHACKMACK
CO-FOUNDER,ABGEORDNETENWATCH

TheCommunicationsArchitect:
EnablingPublicDialogtoAdvanceDemocracy

Ideasthatdisruptthestatusquooftenhaverippleeffects
andconsequences.GregorHackmackandfellowactivists
inHamburg,Germany,realizedthisafterwinningahard-
fought fight for electoral reform. They sought to em-
power voters by changing the way members of the state
parliament, the Brgerschaft, were elected. Yet the suc-
cessofthisreformrevealedanewchallenge:howwould
citizens, whose only option in the past was to vote for a
partyslate,beabletomakeinformedchoicesaboutindi-
vidual candidates? Gregor and a collaborator, Boris Hek-
ele,knewthattheelectoratewouldneedaccesstoinfor-
mation that, at the time, was simply not available. They
also realized that the true hurdle was more than just
aboutdisseminatinginformationwhatwasneededwas
a way for citizens and the politicians who represented
them to engage in a public dialog that promoted trans-
parencyandaccountability.
Historically,theelectoralsysteminGermanygavepoliti-
calpartiesagreatdealofpowertodeterminehowlegis-
lativeseatswouldbefilled.Atthenationallevel,thesys-
tem provides citizens two votes that: one to be cast for
individuals vying to represent a constituency and one
vote to be cast for a party. The Federal parliaments 622
seats are divided using complex formulas that result in
individual winners from the constituencies taking seats
from direct votes and more than half the seats appor-
tioned based on vote totals won by each political party.
In practice, many candidates who lose in the direct vote
2CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK LFAGROUP:LearningforAction
end up being awarded seats because party bosses in-
cludethemaspartoftheproportionalvotetotals.Eachof
Germanys 16 states until recently relied on similar sys-
tems. Many believe this system has contributed to voter
apathyanddissatisfaction.
1

Hamburgs referendum in 2004 changed this on a local

level, giving citizens more power to elect candidates as
well as vote people out of office. Suddenly, it became
much more crucial for voters to know where individual
candidates stood on im-
portant issues, and
there was a new oppor-
tunity to hold office-
holders directly ac-
countable for their ac-
tions. None of the major
stakeholders, however,
waspreparedtoaddress
this need. The public
was used to being unin-
formed and had no precedent for seeking and using in-
formation about parliamentary candidate positions. The
politicians,meanwhile,werealsoleftwithoutestablished
mechanisms for communicating with and hearing from
constituents. Media also were used to relying on party
and ruling government spokespeople as sources; they
literally had access to the party line, but little experi-
ence exploring and disseminating information about in-
dividualcandidates.
GregorandBorissawthisgapand,together,developeda
simple yet radically innovative solution: Abgeordneten-
watch (Parliament Watch) was conceived as a neutral,
onlineplatformthatwouldfosterdirectcitizen-politician
dialog, track politicians public positions and votes to
hold them accountable, and promote this information
throughestablishedmedia.Anewplatformforadvancing
citizen-focuseddemocracywasborn.
QuickTractionwithThreeCoreStrategies
The foundation of Parliament Watch is direct question
and answer between politicians and constituents, strip-
pingawaythefiltersandsimplificationsoftalkingpoints
andmediaanalysis.Everymemberofparliamentisgiven
anonlineprofile.Constituentsareabletosubmitconcise
questions and politicians are able, if they choose, to re-
spond publicly. The opportunity for direct exchange is
oneofthethingsthatmakesParliamentWatchuniquein
comparisonwithothermonitoringprojects.Peoplehave
had no way of doing this before, notes Federal Parlia-
ment member Burkhardt Mller-Snksen. You dont
think as a normal citizen to ask [questions of] your
member of parliament, but if you have a platform like
Abgeordnetenwatch,thebarrierislower.
The Q&A forum is complemented by a second, related
strategy: a permanent
catalog of MP atten-
dance, voting records
and key policy state-
ments. Gregor refers to
this part of the platform
asthevotersmemory.
You get from different
sources the information
you need about politi-
cians and their deci-
sionsbundledinonedatabase,explainsDr.ErwinStahl,
anexecutiveatBonVenture,whichwasanearlyinvestor
in the platform. Having that is a wonderful thing. It is
likegoldthathasnot[yet]beendugup.
Third, Parliament Watch has pursued a deliberate strat-
egy to leverage, rather than circumvent, existing media
channels. They position themselves as sources, believing
that their primary value is as information aggregators,
not distributors to end users. Journalists are becoming
familiarwithParliamentWatchsdataandareabletocite
it in articles, and strategic partnerships with major me-
dia offer the resource through their online portals. Par-
liament Watch is not a website you turn to everyday,
Gregor insists. In fact, most users are confronted with
Parliament Watch through another front, for example
SpiegelOnline.Itmaybethecasethattheythinktheyare
reachingaSpiegelprojectratherthanParliamentWatch,
buttheobjectistohavemanypeoplepresentedwiththe
information.
All three strategies have demonstrated traction and rap-
idlyincreasingreach.Whatbeganin2004asavolunteer
effort by 2007 was ready to formally launch as a two-
charter combination of social enterprise and nonprofit
entities which, under German tax law, allows Parliament
Watchthebroadestsetoffinancialandoperatingadvan-
BythetimeGregorwaselectedasanAshoka
News & Knowledge Fellow, in 2008, citizens
had asked more than 12,000 questions of
their representatives. Since that time, the
cumulative number of questions asked has
jumpedpast100,000.
LFAGROUP:LearningforAction CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK3
tages.BythetimeGregorwaselectedasanAshokaNews
& Knowledge Fellow, in 2008, citizens had asked more
than12,000questionsoftheirrepresentatives.Sincethat
time, the cumulative number of questions asked has
jumped past 100,000. Last year more than four million
unique visitors came to the site, and today Parliament
Watch has grown to cover five of the 16 German state
parliaments, the Federal Parliament and German repre-
sentationintheparliamentoftheEuropeanUnion.
Equally impressive is the response rate from MPs. More
than 80% of submitted questions have been answered,
and 95% of MPs from the covered parliaments actively
participate in the system. Regardless of each MPs par-
ticipation, Parliament Watch gathers and publishes MP
attendance and voting information that is publicly avail-
able but would be difficult for most citizens and labor-
intensiveevenforjournaliststosecure.
Among the most significant achievements since the for-
mal launch has been the establishment of strategic part-
nerships with mass media outlets, including state radio
and television, more than three dozen regional newspa-
pers, and one of the nations largest weekly magazines,
Der Spiegel. With a print circulation of over one million
and a prominent online presence, Der Spiegel is the big-
gest print media publication in its market and is known
foritspoliticalreporting.
2
Inwhathasbecomeitsclosest
partnership, Parliament Watch regularly develops new
and creative concepts for making its data accessible to
Spiegel Online users, while the media giants web pro-
grammers implement the ideas. For example, in January,
2011, Spiegel Online launched a card game meant to en-
tertain users while conveying key statistics about their
parliamentary representatives and let users know they
canaskdirectquestionsoftheirelectedofficials.
For Gregor and his team, the shift in the media market-
place is as significant. We reach a lot of journalists who
in the past would have just turned to the government,
and now turn to us as a source of information for sto-
ries.Asearchofselectprintmediashowsthatcoverage
specifically referencing Parliament Watch has shot up in
the last three years, reaching a high of more than 150
articles during the 2009 federal election year. In one
month alone Parliament Watch provoked more than
threedozenarticleswhentheyreleaseddataandgraded
MPsontheirresponseratetocitizenquestions.Iseethe
press using it as a source, notes Federal MP Mller-
Snksen. Sometimes journalists give me a call and ask
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4CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK LFAGROUP:LearningforAction
me why I said one thing one year ago and I just did
[somethingelse].
Parliament Watchs 30,000 regular subscribers are what
Gregor calls a political information elitejournalists,
political commentators, party leaders and politicians.
They have the potential to re-communicate or leverage
the information with wide impact. Simultaneously, the
website receives between 6,000 and 10,000 unique visi-
torsdaily,dependinginpartontheelectionscycle.Much
of this audience is made of up the electorate, and Parlia-
ment Watchs own demographic assessments show that
one-thirdofitsusersarefirst-timevoters,manyofthem
youngpeople.
Impact:CreatingaNewPoliticalCulture
Not everyone welcomed the change in information flow
and dialog. Hamburg MP Alexander-Martin Sardina in
2008 wrote about Parliament Watchs reception in the
hallsofpower:Abgeordnetenwatchoftenwasatopicfor
discussionintheCDU[rulingpartyChristianDemocratic
Union] parliamentary group meetings. . . . The mood in
the spring and summer of 2005 was that only the party
speaker should answer for their respective issues. . . .
There was also a group of representatives that insisted
that the only proper forum for debate was Parliament,
notanindependentinternetsite.Staffattorneysforone
stateparliamentwereaskedtoadviseMPswhetherPar-
liament Watch could be held legally liable for generating
badpublicity.
3

Despite resistance from the political establishment, over

time individual MPs came to see Parliament Watch as
somethingthatbenefittedthem.ManyMPscloselywatch
not just the questions posed to them, but those directed
to other leaders. Questions are incentives to get in-
formed about topics that they know little about, Gregor
argues.TheMPsscantopicsonoursitetolookforideas
and[opportunities]forthingstodo.Theygetinspiration
from others answers, and they can also get a sense of
potential coalition partners. From a purely pragmatic
standpoint,ParliamentWatchgivespoliticiansalow-cost
waytodirectlyaccesslargenumbersofvoters.Itisone
oftheonlychancestogettoknowthepeopleinmycon-
stituency, notes Federal MP Rdiger Kruse. There are
187,000people[inmydistrict],andyoucannotmeetand
greet [all of them]. MPs also appreciate the opportunity
forunfiltereddialog.NotesHamburgMPSardina,AnMP
whoisoneof121[inHamburg]hardlyhasaregularplat-
form of their own, and when they do, it is on a very lim-
itedbasis,andsometimes[theyare]evenmisquoted.
Directdialogbetweenpoliticianandconstituentisbotha
reflectionanddriverofanimportantshiftintheGerman
political landscape. The 2004 referendum that changed
theelectoralprocessinHamburghasgainedmomentum
in other states and more recently at the Federal level,
where constitutional courts have issued rulings that are
accelerating the shift away from party-centered poli-
tics.
54
Itishardtosayweinfluencedthistrend,Gregor
cautions, but there is a general trend and atmosphere
for citizen engagement in politics. We have provoked a
shift in focus away from just government to parliament.
EventhoughitisstillnotthecasethatallGermansknow
their Member of Parliament, it is growing greatly. The
mediawillnowfeaturethevotingrecordsofmembers.In
the past media coverage was framed as the government
decided, and now it is focused on individual voting. A
study by the Federal Parliament confirms that the elec-
torate is paying more attention and becoming more in-
formedaboutissuesearlierinthedecision-makingproc-
essbeforelawsarepassedasopposedtowhentheyare
beingimplemented.
65

Parliament Watch has contributed to a major change in

self-perception among MPs, Gregor emphasizes. They
arerealizingthattheyareemployeesofthepeople.Each
MP has a voice and can communicate with the people. It
reducespartypowerstructureandempowersindividual
MAJORMEDIACITATIONSOFPARLIAMENTWATCH
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LFAGROUP:LearningforAction CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK5
actors. Nonetheless, an observer of these structural
changes to the political discourse in Germany may won-
der:ifvotersarebetterinformedandmoreengaged,and
if the process is more transparent, are these shifts driv-
ingdifferent results in terms of government policies and
actions? Gregor cautions that it is always difficult to re-
lateacertainpolicydecisiontoasinglecause,buttakes
pride in several concrete examples where Parliament
Watch fueled public conversations which in turn led to
changedpolicies.Inonecase,aplanforMPstoraisetheir
own salaries for a second time in less than six months
becameahottopicaftercitizensbeganquestioningtheir
representatives. As a result, the story became more
widely reported and party leaders ended up abandoning
the pay-raise plan. In a pre-Parliament Watch media en-
vironment, news about MP pay raises likely would have
goneunreporteduntilafteritwasadonedeal.Similarly,
data available on Parliament Watch in 2010 revealed a
string of absences by a prominent MP who was earning
feesfromoutsidespeakingengagementsinsteadofdoing
the work for which he had been elected. Within two
monthshisownpartypubliclycalledforreformtoregu-
lateoutsideearnings.
SuccessFactorsandChallenges
Parliament Watchs success is predicated on trust. An
experienced and active member in the direct democracy
movement,Gregorknewthesitehadtobeseenasobjec-
tive and neutral, and that they needed a way to ensure
userscouldnotabusetheplatformforpoliticalpurposes.
Questions directed to elected officials would have to be
screened to ensure they were neither biased attacks nor
coordinated propaganda. Gregors partner, Boris, a pro-
grammingexpertwhodevelopstheinfrastructureforthe
site, helped create a mechanism for moderating the dia-
log.
The Q&A portion of the platform has very strict mod-
eration protocol, codified to ensure nobody uses the
platformtolobby,slanderorpersonallyattackpoliticians
or make racist statements. Parliament Watchs team of
five full-time staff is supported by 15 part-time, paid
moderators who screen all questions. Questions can be
askedonlyonceandmustbeframedneutrally.Adetailed
electronic record of moderator decisions is kept and re-
viewed by peers. Overseeing the entire process and in-
tervening in rare cases is an ethics board made up of
journalists, federal judges, academics and other re-
spected professionals. Without this level of rigor to en-
sure a fair dialog, members of parliament would be un-
willingtoengage.Thereisonlyonewaytodo[thistype
of neutral platform] correctly, observes Federal MP
RdigerKruse.Itisnotimportantwhetheryouyourself
are left wing or liberal or conservative. Any lack of ob-
jectivity would be quickly recognized, he argues, and
thenyouwouldbeoutofbusinessvery,veryfast.
Anothercriticalsuccessfactorhasbeenthe widespread
adoption by MPs, without which Parliament Watch
wouldloseitscorecontent.GregorbeganinHamburgby
approachingindividualMPswho,aslower-rankingparty
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6CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK LFAGROUP:LearningforAction
members, had more to gain from a system that enabled
direct engagement with constituents. Politicians who
were younger in their careersand more comfortable
with internet-based communicationsbecame early
adopters. After initial reservations and concerns about
Parliament Watchs political agenda were allayed, the
upsides of participation motivated many other MPs to
join. Persistent promotion of the effort, including pub-
lished ratings that reveal which MPs do not engage, has
helpedtocreateanewnormwhereParliamentWatchis
embraced.Thecolleaguesofminewhosaytheywillnot
answer do not do themselves a favor, argues Mller-
Snksen.
Athirdcriticalfactorfor
successone which
most stakeholders feel
needs to be further de-
velopedis the part-
nerships with estab-
lished media. Through
this work, Parliament
Watch has fueled in-
creased coverage of the
political process, official
decisions, and greater
transparency. Premium partners such as Der Spiegel of-
fer access to audiences and help build Parliament
Watchs credibility and visibility. Going forward, one
critical challenge for the organization is how to further
expand and leverage these media relationships, particu-
larly with broadcast media. They have had some expo-
sure through one-off coverage on television (mostly
through a regular stream of invitations for Gregor to ap-
pear on talk shows), but their hope is to create a sus-
tained partnership with a major show. Currently, their
biggest presence is online, but the visibility offered by
broadcast media would elevate Parliament Watchs role
in the public conversation about direct democracy. They
alsoaretryingtogetbetteratworkingwithjournaliststo
help them use Parliament Watch data: a blog they began
during the 2009 elections and the system of grading
MPs on their Q&A response rate are both techniques di-
rected at journalists looking for high-impact story ideas.
We do some investigative journalism on our blog to
show the potential of our data, Gregor explains. It is to
inspire.Weuseitstrategically.
ParliamentWatchsabilitytoengageMPsandmajorme-
dia is in part a reflection of Gregors leadership. He is
widely regarded as innovator and social entrepreneur
whose charisma and passion attract others. He is an ex-
ceptional public face, and he is matched with an equally
passionate business partner, Boris Hekele, who brings
essential operational and technical know-how. Gregor
has to lead this and push it and be convincing about the
project, argues Federal MP Mller-Snksen. I think he
is capable of this. . . . He has the potential to be a big
player.
The organizations funding model is both a strength
and, as is often the case with public interest efforts, an
area that needs contin-
ued focus. The philan-
thropic sector in Ger-
many is underdevel-
oped and historically
avoids political projects.
Instead, operations
were initially supported
with an investment by
BonVenture, a German
social venture capital
firm. Structured as a
ten-year loan, the investment allowed Parliament Watch
to begin a planned expansion that eventually will reach
all 16 German state parliaments in addition to the Fed-
eral European parliaments (German members), which
are already covered. To sustain itself, however, Parlia-
ment Watch relies on donations from over 2,000 mem-
bers of the public, more than half of whom are funder-
subscribers each contributing an average of 8-10
monthly. Revenues from advertising and sales of pre-
mium profiles in the run-up to elections supplement do-
nations. The organization reached a break-even point in
March, 2010, and is now working to build up a reserve.
Gregor estimates that the initial investment required to
move sustainably into a new state is roughly 10,000,
andthisisthegoaltheyhavesettoraisebeforeeachfu-
tureexpansion.Withinthenexttwoyearstheyintendto
be active with all 16 German state parliaments, and also
wanttoexploreaddingmunicipal-levelgoverningbodies.
Expansion raises other long-term challenges. At the
momenttheplatformispartiallyautomatedbutdepends
Parliament Watch has contributed to a ma-
jor change in self-perception among MPs.
Theyarerealizingthattheyareemployeesof
the people. Each MP has a voice and can
communicate with the people. It reduces
partypowerstructureandempowersindivid-
ualactors. GREGORHACKMACK
LFAGROUP:LearningforAction CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK7
on a team of paid moderators. Parliament Watch relies
on these moderators to maintain its impartial position,
but this adds cost and limits scalability. One idea they
may explore is to adopt a Wikipedia-type model (e.g.,
crowd-sourcing), but this inevitably would introduce a
newsetofrisksthatwouldneedtobemanaged.Weare
looking to having more users involved in the project,
Gregor emphasizes, but do not want to lose the inde-
pendenceoftheproject.
Three opportunistic attempts to expand internationally
have offered tough les-
sons. Parliament Watch
aligned with groups in
Luxembourg and Aus-
tria and also has a pilot
in Ireland. Initial prom-
isegavewaytostrategic
and operational dis-
agreements: owners of
the Austrian project de-
cidedtoselltheenterprisetoanewsagency,andaccord-
ing to Gregor the original spirit is lost. Meanwhile, the
Luxembourg effort is strongly aligned in terms of pur-
pose but has become a financial drain. They are great
activists Gregor says, but bad fundraisers. He believes
Parliament Watch should consolidate and mature in its
own market before attempting an expansion, and then
develop an intentional plan for strategic international
expansion and a framework for choosing partners who
bring the right level of commitment and resources. In-
ternational expansion is still a priority: there are many
parliamentary systems around Europe, and there have
been inquiries about licensing the platform from media
outletsintheUnitedStates.
ExpandingParliamentWatchsInfluence
ParliamentWatchsbiggestopportunityistoleverageits
early successes in order
to become a more
prominentplayeronthe
political landscape. In
our specific field, par-
liament, yes we are a
thought leader, Gregor
observes, but not
around politics in gen-
eral. We are not yet a
household name like
Greenpeace.Sofarwearetoosmalltorunbigcampaigns
and instead rely on being invited onto talk shows, or
need to come up with stories [to draw media attention].
We dont yet have the capacity to reach all the potential
stakeholdersorusersofParliamentWatch.Thepriority
istogetmorepublicattention.
Anentirecivicconversationhasbeencreated
where there was only one-way, tightly con-
trolledcommunicationinthepast.Thepoten-
tial to reshape the system of democracy in
Germanyand electoral politics around the
globeisprofound.
Ashoka has proved Lo be Lhe mosL valuable neLwork for Lhe
developmenL of arllamenL WaLch so far," Cregor Packmack
argues. lL has been Lhe drlvlng facLor ln scallng and expandlng
Lhls pro[ecL."
When he was selecLed as a news & knowledge lellow, ln 2008,
Cregor galned access Lo a varleLy of resources deslgned Lo
supporL hlm personally and professlonally as an lnnovaLor and
enLrepreneur. 1hrough Ashoka, he has accessed pro bono
buslness and sLraLegy plannlng from Mcklnsey LhaL resulLed ln a
sLronger organlzauonal sLrucLure and a plan for more focused
expanslon. As parL of Lhls, arllamenL WaLch produced lLs rsL
professlonal annual reporL. 1hrough Ashoka, Cregor also was
lnvlLed Lo auend Lhe Skoll World lorum ln Cxford and Lhe CenLer
for luLure Clvlc Medla gaLherlng ln Cambrldge, connecung hlm
Lo new neLworks of lnnovaLors.
Ashoka connecLed Cregor Lo local parLners who made Lhe rsL
auempL Lo seed arllamenL WaLch as a plloL eorL ln lreland.
!"#$%&"'(%$)#*&$+$()'*,#-.#$/#,,'*&"01$
AlLhough Lhe lnlual eorL sLalled, a new launch ln lreland ls
underway, housed ln Ashoka's omces Lhere. Ashoka also has
been lnsLrumenLal ln connecung Cregor wlLh poLenual parLners
and funders ln Lhe u.S., lncludlng aL nauonal ubllc 8adlo, wlLh
whom he ls now parLnerlng on a u.S.-based pro[ecL enLered ln
Lhe knlghL loundauon's knlghL news Challenge granL process.
More recenLly, a meeung has been seL up Lo connecL arllamenL
WaLch wlLh Coogle englneers Lo explore poLenual sLraLeglc
Lechnology pro[ecLs.
Cregor ldenues Ashoka as leadlng Lo self-percepLual changes.
Pe vlews hlmself dlerenLly, acuvely paruclpaLes ln Lhe Ashoka
neLwork and provldes supporL and lnslghL Lo oLher soclal
enLrepreneurs. lndeed, lL ls because of Ashoka LhaL Cregor has
come Lo belleve LhaL ln order Lo unfold Lhe full lmpacL, we have
Lo go global. [We need Lo] ensure LhaL Lhls local ldea wlll spread
Lo oLher counLrles and Lhus become Lruly sysLem-changlng."
8CASESTUDY:GREGORHACKMACK LFAGROUP:LearningforAction
BonVentures Dr. Erwin Stahl also envisions a much
higher public profile for Parliament Watch. I am sure
they will become a organization like Amnesty Interna-
tionalan organization that you must go to if you want
information on a topicbut it just takes time. I would
say there are two keys: One, use the information they
gatherin[closer]cooperationwithmediacompanies....
Mediacompanieswouldnothavetopayfortheinforma-
tion, and on the other hand Abgeordnetenwatch would
becomemorewellknown.Andtwo,bringthetechnology
into the international arena. Gregor agrees: We are a
leader for this strategy but do not have a high-enough
profile[internationally],inpartbecausewedonotoper-
ateinEnglish.
The trajectory for Parliament Watch is promising. They
have financial stability, a plan for intentional expansion
within Germany and an understanding of the complexi-
ties they will need to grapple with before further pursu-
inginternationalexpansion.Meanwhile,thestateswhere
the organization first began work are entering their sec-
ond or even third election cycles, creating opportunities
todemonstratethevalueofapublic-recorddialog.Politi-
cians who have made unrealistic promises are being
called on to defend discrepancies between their posi-
tions and their votes, and are becoming motivated to be
more honest and transparent.At the same time, political
leaders are able to build meaningful connections with
constituents and focus debate on substantive issues. An
entire civic conversation has been created where there
was only one-way, tightly controlled communication in
the past. Assuming Gregor and his team can continue to
expand this new conversation, the potential to reshape
the system of democracy in Germanyand electoral
politicsaroundtheglobeisprofound.
Visit Parliament Watch on the web at abgeordneten-
watch.de.

CaseStudyMethods
A professional evaluator from LFA Group: Learning for Action spent 4
days in Hamburg and Munich working with local research partner
Kathrin Voss, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of Hamburg, specializing
inpoliticalandinternetcommunication,tocollectthefollowingdatafor
thiscasestudy:
Atotalof9keyinformantinterviewswith6differentstakeholders,
includingtwomembersoftheGermanBundestag;onememberof
theHamburgBrgerschaft;arepresentativefromBonVenture,a
majorfunderofAbgeordnetenwatch;representativesfrommedia
partners;aprofessorofpoliticalscienceattheUniversityofHam-
burg;ajournalist;andstaffandboardmembersoftheAbgeord-
netenwatchteam.
Asurveyof3,315questionersthatputaquestiontoapoliticalrep-
resentativeandreceivedananswer.323respondedtothesurvey.
ReviewoftheAbgeordnetenwatchwebsite,annualreport,media
coverageandreportsonAbgeordnetenwatch,andotheravailable
materials.
Sitevisitobservationsbyaprofessionalevaluatorandlecturer
fromUniversityofHamburg.
Wheredataarereferencedwithoutcitation, Abgeordnetenwatchisthe
source.

References

1
Source:Keyinformantinterviews.
2
Source:InternationalHeraldTribune.
3
Source:38FragenandenAbgeordnetenSardinaMdHB,
www.sardina.de(March,2008).
4
Source:LexisNexis.com.Includesmorethan200newspapersand
magazinesinitsdatabase,butonlyasmallpercentageoflocalandre-
gionalpublications.
5
Source:Keyinformantinterviews.
6
Source:Keyinformantinterviews.