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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: User generated content (file sharing not portals)
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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: • User generated content (file sharing not portals) • 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 windowshttp://www.places.communities.gov.uk/places • Floor Targets Interactive (FTI)http://www.fti.communities.gov.uk/fti/ • State of the Cities databasehttp://www.socd.communities.gov.uk/socd • Green Spaces – • 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/ (June 2009) Google maps and parks + open spaces register
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”
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)
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 2. Public Services and the Modernisation of Government – a continuing phenomenon
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 for consumer style choice Performance measured against the new set of 198 National Indicators
The interactive state The active, consulted, empowered citizen / consumer control with user of services personalised participatory interactive on demand transparent Government 2.0 Beyond the consumer state to the user-generated state?
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?
Public services replicating idea of choice from private sector of competing providers 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 choosing citizen /consumer
The contributing citizen University education Health care + dentistry Road use
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