Can eParticipation take over the World?

Paul Johnston

Head of European Public Sector Team

Internet Business Solutions Group

Cisco

Policy-Making: The e-Democrat’s View

Policy is made in an ivory tower

By an out-of-touch clique

It produces outputs people don’t really want

Delivered in poorly thought-out ways

And it is not joined up across government

If only citizens were more involved!

Policy-Making: The Policymaker’s View

If only everything wasn’t so complicated!

An endless stream of demands and suggestions

Constant pressure for “big ideas”

People ask for something & complain when they get it

Unrealistic expectations of loser-less solutions

Vested interests are able to block most change

Unexpected events throw everything off track

The e-Democrat’s Offer

I can help bring more ideas into the process

I can help bring more people into the process

I can help further increase expectations

I can make the whole thing even less predictable

I can give the media lots of new sticks to hit you with

I can give you lots of new work to do

The Policy-Maker’s Wishlist

Help in understanding what people really want (as opposed to what they say they want)

Help in making the debate more realistic by highlighting to people the difficult trade-offs & where people’s views clash

Help in challenging vested interests and so increasing the range of deliverable options

Help with the nitty-gritty work of policy research

Help in fine-tuning implementation so it works

Help in presenting clear, objective, up-to-date information on where the policy process is and why

Central Government Consultation Today

Consult and Sell

Blank Sheet of Paper

Improving Government Consultation

Video-enlivened

Social Media-enhanced

Widgets

Freely Commentable

Cisco Confidential IBSG - 9Copyright © 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Transforming the Policy Process

Transparency on Stakeholder Activity and Input

Transparency on Citizen Input

Real-time, Co-produced Policypedia

Better Tools to aggregate Citizen Input

Better Tools for Deliberative e-Participation

Tools that encourage Long-term Citizen Engagement

The Big Challenge: Acknowledging Impact

Citizens Need to Know They Made a Difference

Hard for Government toAdmit its Changed its Mind

Conclusion

It’s not just about participation, we need transparency

Our tools need to help improve the quality of the debate

rather than encourage people to think that there are

simple, magical solutions

We need to enable participation throughout the

decision-making process, not just now and then

Cisco Confidential IBSG - 13Copyright © 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.