EPlatform for Citizen's Engagement: A ThreeTier Approach

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E-Platform for Citizen's Engagement A
Three-Tier Approach

• Thomas B. Riley, Executive Director
• Commonwealth Centre for e-Governance
• United Nations Department of Economic
• And Social Affairs Program
• International Conference on Engaging Communities
• Brisbane, Queensland, August 14-17, 2005

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The Promise of Technology

• Electronic networks are pervasive
• - radio and television
• - telephone and internet
• Public expectations continue to rise
• - e-commerce reduces transaction costs
• - e-government broadens service delivery
• Legitimacy requires integrity transparency
• - data repositories facilitate accountability
• - connectivity invites two-way communication

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Dealing with the Democratic Deficit

• Election turn-out is on the decline
• Electronic voting is only part of the answer
• E-engagement could renew interest
• - who should participate?
• - how will participation occur?
• - what would be the rules of engagement?
• - how should gov'ts respond to such inputs?

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Citizen's Engagement The Next Step On The Road
To E-Democracy

• Progression Towards E-Democracy
• - electronic service delivery
• - electronic voting
• - online citizen's engagement
• Components Of E-Participation
• -Tier One Government (back office
  infrastructure)
• - Tier Two Groups (community-level activists)
• - Tier Three (international organizations)

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Guidance For Tier One

• State of Victoria, Electronic Democracy
• Report, May 2005 Principles of
  Engagement
• (a) majority rule, popular elections, primacy of
  Parliament
• (b) citizen equality of participation in civic
  life
• (c) human rights of citizens to participate
  freely in public life
• (d) minority rights of groups within the community

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Tier One Strategy for Wide Citizen Engagement

• Strong leadership from government public
  service
• Reach out for consultation interaction
• Develop mechanisms for focused participation
• Which ICTs will facilitate participation?
• Effective promotion of participatory
  opportunities

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Tier One Strategy

• (6) Conduct online citizen consultations
• (7) Build on currently-used technologies
• (8) Provide sufficient personnel to staff
  engagement process
• (9) Summarize and post online feedback
• (10) Provide sufficient resources to assess and
  summarize consultations

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Tier One Strategy

• (11) Share consultation results with relevant
  public servants and wider public
• (12) Announce any changes that have resulted from
  consultations
• (13) Develop and post in-depth knowledge to
  inform public about consultation issues
• (14) Adopt information/records management
  strategies to assist on-going participation

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Tier One

• (15) Develop online spaces for citizen-citizen
  and citizen-expert dialogues
• (16) Provide interactive, 24/7 websites
• (17) Legislate to protect privacy and
  confidentiality of online engagement
• (18) Develop alternate access as needed
• (19) Evolve a Citizens' Engagement Charter of
  Rights that can be revised as new technologies
  emerge and breadth of consultations expand.

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Engaging Tier Two

• Interest group networks already exist
• Governments have assisted in developing this
  group network infrastructure
• Cooperation is required for further advances
• Links should be established between group
  networks and mandated gov't departments
• Lessons can be learned from previous network
  experience of interest groups

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Tier Three Possibilities

• International plans/funds are needed for
  Citizens' Engagement at all levels of society
• Just as groups provide input, gov'ts and outside
  groups, ngos, civil society, unions, associations
  etc., could use the networks for citizens in
  their respective communities
• Facilitation service providers may be able to
  broaden the scope of public participation

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Conclusions

• E-Participation requires good policies as well as
  effective tools
• Expectations of online consultations need to be
  met
• Online consultations needs to filter down and
  across society and become the norm in the
  political and public service process of
  governance
• ICT-enabled participation has become part of the
  democratic ethos, so important to adapt.