Examining the mobilization dynamics of e-petitions concerning the overflight of Brussels and its surroundings: From NIMBY syndrome to the foot-in-the-door effect

While digitalization seems likely to considerably intensify petitioning practices, few systematic studies have been devoted to the phenomenon of e-petitions. Based mainly on individual data from a French-speaking Belgian online petitions website, this article analyzes the differentiated propensity for political engagement through petitions on a specific issue: the overflight of Brussels. It concludes that it is exposure to environmental nuisances, and even more so the endowment of resources, that explain the dynamics of e-petitions, thus qualifying the mobilization thesis. However, the politicization induced sometimes allows the engagement to survive the disappearance of the nuisance and the self-interest of the actors who have put their “foot in the door.”