8 th May 2009

Modelling Democracy: e-democracy and decision-making - Towards a User Generated State?

John Morison QUB

8th May 2009

Web 2.0(Next generation of computing)

Web 2.0 The new revolution in

information Not new technology but

new end user focus User generated content

(file sharing not portals) Enhanced creativity Increased interactionSocial networking, ebay, Flickr,

Skype, Amazon, RSS, Google / Stumble, YouTube

(Open source, mashups, twitter, wikis, blogs, Facebook, etc, etc)

Web 2.0 Gov 2.0 The Power of Information Re-invigorate electoral politics Re-engineer public services

Re-inventing the “state” and idea of the “public”

Power of information

Free availability of public dataRe-use of “official” dataGovernment in partnershipMore information

User-generated sites Mash-ups – sharing data, Personalised governmentMore involvement

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 – 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/

+ http://www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk/. http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/maps/ http://www.greenstat.org.uk http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk http://www.esd.org.uk/esdtoolkit/Communities/LIS http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/cross-government/capability/reports.aspx

MySociety applicationsWritetoThem.com; TheyWorkforYou.com

Power of Information as key

“the information revolution”…”the smarter, more strategic state”…

“the democratising power of information”

Gordon Brown April 2009

Two aspects of the smarter, user generated state

1. Improving participation in formal democracy

2. Re-establishing the basis of public services

1. Improving democracy:Re-engagement with formal politics

Voter turn-out less than 60% Membership of political parties less than 25% of level in 1960sBut …60% express “an interest” in politics; 70% willing to sign a petition;

20% have boycotted products …

Making democracy and government work in the UK

Governance of Britain – a Green Paper

“a national conversation … [about how] .. to forge a new relationship between government and citizen”

Key goal – “to invigorate democracy”

What is being done to develop democracy?

Democratic innovations Central Government – citizen/consumerLocal Government – consumer/citizenE-government – e-citizen/participant

Big Government and democratic innovations

Referendums Deliberative forums

- Citizen summits- Citizens’ juries

Petitions and e-petitions

(+ duty of Local Councils to respond)

e-consultations

Local government and active citizens

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

- LSPs to produce ground-up LAAs- Vision, targets, milestones, Neighbourhood Action Plans,

Neighbourhood Charters etc. - “duty to involve” The Community Power Pack (2008) Local Democracy National Projecte-engagement techniques

Local authorities = “vibrant hubs” or “democratic centres”

• “duty of democracy”• generation of ideas, volunteering, “take part”

campaigns• “well-being duty”,• participatory planning • Civic Champions,• Empowerment fund, • community kitties

Participatory Budgeting

Information to support priority decision-making

Local Authorities and neighbourhoods

ICT supported£10 m since 2004 (2-3% annually)

Sustainable Communities Act 2007“a change in the relationships in British politics”

Bottom-up suggestions from community

Financial information to support local take-over of functions

Proposals shortlisted by “Selector”

Sec of State required to implement

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

Transformational Government in the UK

“enabled by technology” 6 year plan- customer-centric, shared services, professionalismLinked to goals of increased economic productivity and

enhanced social justice

Public services and Citizens

The individualisation / personalisation of servicesThe 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

Information-led + citizen-centred

Information for choice

Performance measured against the new set of 198 National Indicators in force from 1 April 2008

How do we interpret this?

Within liberal democracy?Something more?

Democratic sufficiency?

How do we better interpret this?

“we must conduct an ascending analysis of power, starting that is, from its infinitesimal mechanisms … and then see how these have been – and continue to be – invested, colonized, utilized, involuted, transformed, displaced, extended etc. by ever more general mechanisms and by forms of global domination”

Michel Foucault

Governmentality and the constitutional subject

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?

- Foucauldian approaches 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 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 enhanced consumer

The (marginally) enhanced consumer

The failed consumer

The contributing citizen

University educationNHS Dentistry Road use

The contributing citizen - surrendering rights

The watched and controlled citizen

The responsible citizen

Self-governing and prudentRisk managingInsured

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 contest these ideas of citizenship?

Does interaction + user generation + information + participation = democracy?