As the internet continues to make transparency and collaboration cheaper and easier, governments around the world face increasing pressure to become more open and more participatory. … more
Introduction – Martin Stewart Weeks
Government 2.0 is a label whose convenience should not detract from the significance of the changes it implies. It heralds a sustained process of innovation that will change the way we govern. It’s easy, given its origins in the world of technical and social networking, to get the impression that the ideas and potential changes with which it is associated are (a) largely the domain of super geeks and (b) ephemeral, easily dismissed as niche … more
Case Study: OpenAustralia on Practical Transparency and Gov2.0
Why should Government be transparent? We want to know that a government’s actions reflect the wishes of the people it represents. Transparency is the mechanism for ensuring that the elected Government is accountable to the voters. The Hansard gives us access to the Parliamentary proceedings, but it is only one small part of transparency. Discussion about government transparency to date has largely centred on requirements that Parliamentarians disclose any financial interests or influences that … more
Government 2.0: Crossing or Creating Digital Divides?
Government 2.0 is an engaging idea that reflects two distinct periods of thought: the "classical" model of democratic practice which focuses on citizen participation and peer relationships[i], and; the modern era of public management where organizations and public servants are expected to be more flexible and responsive to citizen’s demands, and can employ technology skillfully to create "public value"[ii]. While Government 2.0 remains an elusive concept in definition and practice – hence the establishment … more
Culture in the New Order
‘There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.’ Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532) One of the key hurdles for the public sector and legislators in heralding in the changes that will make the promise of Government 2.0 successful will be culture change. There’s no question that culture change in … more
Identifying and Managing the Risks of (not) Engaging Online
As the founders of Bang the Table, a company that hosts and moderates online engagement, we spend a good deal of our time talking to potential clients about the perceived risks of engaging the community online. This essay reflects what we have learned from that experience about attitudes to online engagement and risks, both perceived and real and then shares some of our thoughts on the best ways to manage those risks. Despite the … more
Case Study: Collaborating with the Crowd for Better Policy Development
Introduction A feedback loop of innovation in social processes and online tools has presented a new possibility, and in fact, a new reality: complex tasks such as writing an encyclopedia or a city plan are now being crowd sourced. The use of Web-based collaborative communities and tools can use labour, intelligence and interest to develop policy collaboratively, allowing the interests of the public to be better represented and engaged. However, while the tools for such work now exist, there … more
Rebooting Australia?
Australia’s history and unique geography have both played an important role in shaping Australian society and the system of government that supports it. Building on the foundations of Britain’s legal and parliamentary system, local political leaders built the institutions that eventually transformed Australia from a colony to an independent nation. They did it, however, in a way that suited their times and the task of managing a large continent. Can Australia’s 20th century governance … more
Help us make CPD a 2.0 think-tank
The Centre for Policy Development, which originated from an online policy portal, is very interested in expanding the circle of citizens involved in the research and development of policy ideas. Our prototype Sustainable Economy Ideas Index tested out the application of crowdsourcing to the task of making great green policy ideas easier to find and understand. We provide a creative-commons licensed rss feed of regular ‘Thinking Points’ on current policy debates at http://cpd.org.au/category/thinking-points/, and have … more
Promise versus Practice: the Dilemma of Open Government
Meet Kevin Page. He is the Parliamentary Budget Officer in Canada. An energetic, smart and dedicated man, Page is one of the linchpins of accountability and transparency in Canada. His job is to prepare reports and analysis for Parliament on the effect and cost of federal government initiatives. That job exists because the then-opposition Conservatives, handed scandal and corruption in the final years of the previous Liberal government, campaigned on accountability and transparency. They … more