Transcript Global E-Democracy Trends

Online Consultation:
Governments Engaging
Citizens
Seminar
By Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
Seminar Outline
• Introduction
• Online Consultation
• Conclusion
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
Introduction
• Moving from one-way old media to two-way
communication
• Many-to-many communication is the focus of
this seminar
• “The most democratizing aspect of the
Internet is the ability for people to organize
and communicate in groups.”
- Steven Clift from Democracy is Online article in,
OnTheInternet, April 1998
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Taking the E-citizen perspective
– What do people actually do online?
– How can that knowledge be used to design
interactive opportunities?
• Time online. People spend more time in their
e-mail box than surfing on the web.
• E-mail is where the e-citizens roam. The web
is a tremendous and valuable complement.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Daily Internet Activities –
PewInternet.Org
On a typical day, Americans with net
access:
– Go online - 53%
– Send email - 46
– Use an online search engine
to find information - 29
– Get news - 22
– Surf the Web for fun - 22
– Look for info on a hobby - 19
– Check the weather - 17
– Do any type of research for
their job - 16
– Do an Internet search to answer
a specific question - 14
– Research a product or service
before buying it - 14
– Get financial information - 13
– Look for info about movies,
books, or other leisure activities
- 13
– Send an instant message - 11
– Check sports scores - 10
– Look for political
news/information - 9
– Research for school or training 9
– Visit a government Web site - 8
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Local online groups, where might e-citizen
already “be”?
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Club EGroups
Religious Institutions E-News lists
Local Business and Trade Groups E-Lists
Sports Group E-Lists
Media Hosted Web Forums
Social Chat Forums (Younger net users)
Civic/NGO E-Lists
Neighbors, Apartment Complexes
EGroups with Personal Friends
Adapted from PewInternet.Org report on Online Communities
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Do most people view the Internet as a way to get
involved locally? Not yet. We must change that.
– 67% of American Internet users say the Net helps
them get involved in things outside their
community
– 9% say it helps them get involved in things close
to home.
– However, 26% of American Internet users (or 28
million people) have employed the Internet to
contact or get information about local groups.
• From PewInternet.Org’s, Online Communities survey,
continued …
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Of American Internet users, they go online “often” or
“sometimes”:
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41% for information about local stores or merchants.
35% for news about their local community or community events.
30% for information about local government.
24% for information about local schools.
13% to email public officials. (Only half of all net users say their
town has a Web site, and few net users find it very useful.)
– 11% of Internet users say they are aware of at least one local
issue where the net played a role in organizing citizens to
communicate with public officials.
– Percentage doubles to 22% for Internet users who are active
members of online communities.
– Source: PewInternet.Org Online Communities survey
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• If “barriers to entry” to publishing
information or hosting discussions online are
low, what scarcities remain?
– User Time
– User Attention
– Resources available to produce quality content,
host consultations and discussions
• Increasing expectations of users important
• These factors must always be taken into
consideration.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Introduction
• Value of online community and consultations
include:
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Anywhere
Anytime – On your own time
Diverse voices
Complement not replace existing participation
• Can overcome the “democratic divide”
despite digital divide
• Most current decision-making processes
have specific place and time restrictions.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
Online Consultation
• Online consultations are (normally) timelimited events designed to inform the
public policy process and inform
interested citizens and experts
• Often sponsored by government and
NGOs, sometimes media – this
presentation has a government focus
• Related terms – online events, online
hearings, e-rulemaking
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Why do them?
– Increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of
information and opinion available to decision-makers
– Educate citizens on the policy options and complex
choices
– Build public and media awareness on priority issues
– Float ideas and proposals to determine interest, build
support, lessen opposition
• Don’t expect them to be easy or less work than
in-person consultations or public hearings
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
Online Consultation Top Ten Tips
1. Political Support Required.
2. State Purpose, Share Context.
3. Build an Audience.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• 4. Choose Your Model and Elements Carefully.
Examples
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Questions and Answers
Document/Policy Comments
Online Expert Panel
Online Conference
E-Rulemaking Comments
Policy Implementation Information Exchange
Live Chat/Interview Events
Live Multimedia Events
Consultation Index (Traditional Participation)
Other Online Elements: Surveys and Polls, Comment
Forms, Petitions, Testimony, Focus Groups, Web
Forums and E-mail Lists
• Here are select examples …
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Consultation Calendar (Traditional +)
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Questions and Answers
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Policy/Document comments sought
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Online Expert/Guest Panel
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Online Conferences
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• E-Rulemaking Comments
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Policy Implementation and Info Exchange
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Live Chats, Live Multimedia Events
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Online Polls and Surveys
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Online Polls and Surveys 2
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• Web Forums
Fujisawa City, Japan has
Government introduced
topics and citizen
created topic in two
columns – a key
innovation.
Approximately 600 of
3000 local governments
in Japan have web
forums, most are not
active. Fujisawa is
successful exception
with staff time dedicated
to facilitating the forum.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
• E-mail lists – are more implementation oriented
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
Back to the final 5 of 10 top tips …
5. Create Structure.
6. Provide Facilitation and Guidelines.
7. Disseminate Content and Results.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
8. Access to Decision-Makers and Staff
Required.
9. Promote Civic Education.
10. Not About Technology.
Full article online at:
http://www.publicus.net/articles/consult.html
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Online Consultation
Addition resources online at bottom of:
http://www.publicus.net/articles/consult.html
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Bowling Together: Online Public Engagement in Policy Deliberation
OECD Citizens as Partners Guide: Information, Consultation and Public
Participation in Policy-Making (268 pages)
Engaging Citizens in Policy-making: Information, Consultation and Public
Participation. OECD Public Management Policy Brief No. 10
Building Digital Bridges - Creating Inclusive Online Parliamentary
Consultations
Electronic Democracy and Educating Young People
New Media and Social Exclusion (report excerpt from Hansard Society)
On-line Engagement – New Models and Implications for Government
Departments and Officials
Lessons from the Network Model for Online Engagement of Citizens
Electronic Civic Consultation: A guide to the use of the Internet in
interactive policy making (Key Dutch report from 1997)
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Conclusion
Conclusion
• We have a choice – use information and
communications technologies to improve the
connection between citizens and their
governments or not.
• We have a choice – build online efforts
among and for citizens that connect them
with each other in order to raise their voices
in our communities or not.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Conclusion
• This is an evolution that can be shaped on
our terms, our democratic terms.
• Ultimately, our goal is to create systems for
political participation that fully accommodate
the will of the people so we can improve the
outcomes of our public work and society as
a whole.
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net
Further Information
• Democracies Online Newswire
http://www.e-democracy.org/do
Over 2500 people around the world exchanging
announcements, news, and articles related to e-democracy,
e-government, and e-politics.
• E-Democracy Resources Flyer
http://publicus.net/articles/edemresources.html
Links to the top e-democracy starting points on a two page
flyer available in HTML, Word, and PDF.
• Publicus.Net
http://www.publicus.net
More articles and presentations by Steven Clift
Online Consultation Seminar
Copyright 2003, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net