Comments on: British citizen engagement exercise unearths some difficult questions http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/ Exploring How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:21:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: In Praise of the New Zealand Government: Where citizens’ are making the Law « Solution Focused Politics http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-419665 In Praise of the New Zealand Government: Where citizens’ are making the Law « Solution Focused Politics Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:16:40 +0000 http://204.15.36.163:8080/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/#comment-419665 [...] New Zealanders are not new to a more open and participatory form of government as they launched ParticipatioNZ Wiki in 2007 to engage the people in how to create a more open and collaborative way of the government doing business. In a world where those who are at the forefront of creating a more dynamic government through greater partnership with citizens is key, small steps like this can teach us a lot: In an age of empowered citizens, governments will be under increasing pressure to find increasing room for the authentic voices of citizens in just about everything they do. Policy-makers are advised to start thinking about how they can do so in way that diminishes the risk of mob rule and promotes fair, inclusive and well-informed debate instead [...] [...] New Zealanders are not new to a more open and participatory form of government as they launched ParticipatioNZ Wiki in 2007 to engage the people in how to create a more open and collaborative way of the government doing business. In a world where those who are at the forefront of creating a more dynamic government through greater partnership with citizens is key, small steps like this can teach us a lot: In an age of empowered citizens, governments will be under increasing pressure to find increasing room for the authentic voices of citizens in just about everything they do. Policy-makers are advised to start thinking about how they can do so in way that diminishes the risk of mob rule and promotes fair, inclusive and well-informed debate instead [...]

]]> By: Despina Babbage http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-240788 Despina Babbage Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:27:21 +0000 http://204.15.36.163:8080/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/#comment-240788 Online dialogue with citizens for govt policy priority setting, planning or the finessing of policy positions is just another platform, not a replacement of traditional methods. We need to embrace the medium of the people as an additional tool for the practice of democracy. And, in no way is it meant to be a supplanting of representative democracy - we still need the political process. Online dialogue with citizens for govt policy priority setting, planning or the finessing of policy positions is just another platform, not a replacement of traditional methods. We need to embrace the medium of the people as an additional tool for the practice of democracy. And, in no way is it meant to be a supplanting of representative democracy – we still need the political process.

]]> By: Al Shaw http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-34916 Al Shaw Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:39:28 +0000 http://204.15.36.163:8080/blog/index.php/2007/09/09/british-citizen-engagement-exercise-unearths-some-difficult-questions/#comment-34916 My gut feeling is that these forums (which as you rightly point out are in their infancy in UK government circles) will only ever fulfill a similar function to focus groups at a fraction of the cost. The issues you raise about their use as genuine vehicles of policy formation are real and do go to the heart of our understanding of democracy. The forum-based model, of course, would also exclude many of the elderly, infirm and cyber-poor from the political process, a move hardly likely to enrich the democratic process. My gut feeling is that these forums (which as you rightly point out are in their infancy in UK government circles) will only ever fulfill a similar function to focus groups at a fraction of the cost.

The issues you raise about their use as genuine vehicles of policy formation are real and do go to the heart of our understanding of democracy. The forum-based model, of course, would also exclude many of the elderly, infirm and cyber-poor from the political process, a move hardly likely to enrich the democratic process.

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