Crowdlaw: Application of Emerging Technologies and Collective Intelligence in Law and Policy Making

This systematic literature review examines key design elements, methodologies, technologies, and challenges in Crowdlaw initiatives that seek to leverage emerging technologies for collective intelligence and enhanced citizen participation in legislative and policy processes. Through a narrative synthesis of 18 selected research works, the review highlights the diversity of Crowdlaw implementations, the importance of aligning platform functionalities with informational needs at different stages of law and policymaking, and the potential of technologies like machine learning to enhance the scalability and effectiveness of these processes. However, challenges persist in ensuring inclusive participation, efficient contribution analysis, and institutional uptake. The study points to the need for further research on context-sensitive design frameworks, advanced collective intelligence techniques, and strategies for embedding Crowdlaw into existing democratic institutions. Realizing the full potential of Crowdlaw requires carefully tailored socio-technical approaches that prioritize democratic values while leveraging the affordances of emerging technologies.