Gov 2.0: Towards a User Generated State? John Morison ECEG 2010 17-18 June, Limerick, Ireland.
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Gov 2.0: Towards a User Generated State?
John Morison
ECEG 2010 17-18 June, Limerick, Ireland
Web 2.0 The new revolution in information – Not new technology but new
end user focus
Three elements: 1.
User generated content (file sharing not portals) 2.
Enhanced creativity and increased interaction (Social networking, ebay, Flickr, Skype, Amazon, RSS, Google / Stumble, YouTube Open source, mashups, twitter, wikis, blogs, Facebook, etc, etc)
3. Qualitatively new levels of information Free availability of public data Re use of “official” data Government in partnership
More
information User-generated sites Mash-ups – sharing data, Personalised government
More
involvement
Partnerships with user-led communities using and re-using official information The semantic web Linking and mapping information in new apps A significant move away from Government portals simply pushing out information and enabling relatively simple transactions
Official Data
(eg. The Places Database + Analytical Windows)
Places analytical windows
http://www.places.communities.gov.uk/places
Floor Targets Interactive (FTI)
http://www.fti.communities.gov.uk/fti/
State of the Cities database
http://www.socd.communities.gov.uk/socd
Green Spaces –
(June 2009) Google maps and parks + open spaces register
Community Maps: Digital and Social Geographies of Great Britain
http://www.gps.communities.gov.uk/communitymaps
Data4nr.net - Data for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration
http://www.data4nr.net/introduction/
Indices of Multiple Deprivation
http://www.imd.communities.gov.uk/
Informal uses…
Web 2.0 Gov 2.0
The Power of information and Web 2.0 approaches to: re-invigorate electoral politics and build platform for participatory politics re-engineer public services Re inventing the “state” and idea of the “public”
1. Improving democracy: Re-engagement with formal politics Voter turn-out less than 60% Membership of political parties less than 25% of level in 1960s But … 60% express “an interest” in politics; 70% willing to sign a petition; 20% have boycotted products … Harness energy of Web 2.0-style social networking + shopping for participatory government
What is being done to develop democracy?
Democratic innovations Central Government – citizen/consumer Local Government – consumer/citizen e-government – e-citizen/participant
Gimmicks .... and more ....
• On-line questioning of PM, e-zines, e petitions • e-panels, e-juries etc • Sustainable Communities Acts 2007 and 2010 • Local Gov and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 “duty to involve”
Large Scale – e.g. Teeme ara! Minu Eesti
Small scale – e.g. collaborative community planning
Participatory Budgeting (and e participatory budgeting) Information to support priority decision-making Local Authorities and neighbourhoods ICT supported £10 m since 2004 (2-3% annually)
e-consultations
UK example - Dangerous dogs
A controlled space for limited and managed interaction?
Online versions of paper consultations
Added value from ICT?
Democratic sufficiency?
2. Public Services and the Modernisation of Government – a continuing phenomenon
a style
of government aimed at reinvigorating public services Introducing new concepts of efficiency including elements of private sector efficiency, but without ceding control to the same extent as with earlier versions of privatisation to ensure that the public sector will operate in a way that is “as efficient, dynamic and effective as anything in the private sector” a
philosophy
of government as well as a
means
of government
Re-engineering Public Services
The Big Society..... ?
Public services and Citizens
The individualisation / personalisation of services The construction of ideas of communities, consumers, enterprising and prudential selves, Active, responsible, informed and engaged citizens
Gov 2.0 and services “equipping people with far better, richer information “ “using new technology to foster dialogue about public services with citizens and civil servants” User-focused, interactive Personal budgets for health and social care “a smarter, more strategic state”
Information-rich and transparent
Information for consumer style choice Performance measured against the new set of 198 National Indicators
Citizen-led information for choice
Beyond the consumer state to the user-generated state?
The interactive state The active, consulted, empowered citizen / consumer • • • • • control with user of services personalised participatory interactive on demand transparent Government 2.0
How do we interpret this?
Who is the legal subject summoned up by these discourses? How different from the classical “man of law” as equal, rational, rights bearing, autonomous
homo juridicus?
How can these ideas of citizenship be contested?
What understanding of power, the state and democracy is being invoked to direct these strategies?
Governmentality approaches (based on the writings of M. Foucault) give more complex view of the proliferation of governmental technologies and subjects What is left of our idea of the “public”?
(public space, public interest, public service etc.) How can counter publics emerge?
The choosing citizen /consumer Public services replicating idea of
choice
providers from private sector of competing But not only about “exiting the market” and punishing poor providers.
Passing control back to service users. I.e. private law customer rights v. public law ideas of
control
in citizen-centred service
Individualised
services ( e.g. individual budgets for health, not health budgets) ….
The enhanced consumer
The (marginally) enhanced consumer
The failed consumer
The contributing citizen
University education Health care + dentistry Road use
The contributing citizen surrendering rights
The watched and controlled citizen
The responsible citizen
Self-governing and prudent Risk managing Insured
The “consulted” citizen / consumer
“participatory de-politicisation”
How do we contest these ideas of citizenship?
Does interaction + user generation + information + participation = democracy?
The “new model citizen” v. the “defiant citizen”
Gov 2.0 requires Citizen 2.0