Electronic Engagement in the Contemporary Public Sector

Dr Peter John ChenGovernment &International Relations, Sydney University

To blog or not blog? Government and Citizen e-Participation

Electronic Engagement in the Contemporary Public

Sector

The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) by the public sector to

improve, enhance and expand the engagement of the public in policy-making processes.

Electronic engagement, definition

“… the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the

new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each

extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.”

New media impacts, McLuhan

Some perspective, people

Source: McAllister & Clark, Australian Election Study

While on the other hand…

• The specter of the “ladder” metaphor

• The problem of panaceas

• Forget everything you know about engagement

• Obsolescence is not failure

• “To blog or not to blog” … is that the question?

Positioning statements

• What is the issue(s)?

• Who are the audience(s)?

• Extent participative?

• What objectives do we have for this activity?

• How interactive will this process be?

• Which is the right channel to use?

The questions

Conceptual schema, management styles

Specificity of Outcome (intention)Highly

SpecificDiffused or generalise

d

Focused

Semi-structured

Little / no governmen

t steering

Nature of Programmatic

Approach

Trans-parency

Networks

Local content Creation Programs

Electronic Voting in Elections

Co-Production (electronic

governance)

Cyber-activism or Lobbying

Online Dispute

Resolution

Citizen Juries or

Deliberative Conferencing

Online User or Community

Surveys

Electronic Discussion

Lists

Blogging

Example activities

Internet Access

Programs

Alternative

Journalism

‘Listening’ Role

‘Cultivating’ Role

‘Steering’ Role

• If you’re not formally undertaking this activity, you’re already doing it ad hoc– Learn from previous technology adoptions– Find your “leaders”

• Triangular relationship between:– Engagement goals and objectives– Communications channels (media)– Management styles

• Management styles are not always mutually exclusive– Engagement “transitions”– “Duel track” activities

Implications

The political “barrier”

The classic problem of cultivation and listening approaches is they sit on

the boundary with agenda setting which political elites jealously guard... while publics often

resent framing.

Pre-participation schema

• Identify stakeholders and their objectives– Authorizing environment– “Publics” – Be instrumental– These people can help you

• Plan – Short and long term– Preparation – Contingencies and options (implications for platform selection)

• It’s always a “hard launch”– High exposure– Quick cycling

• Reflexivity– Be reflexive about your reflexivity– Fight for good performance metrics

• Watch the close out

International and domestic lessons

• Information society– Web accessibility and storage– Provision of information in “raw” form– Licensing government data for public interest– Use of syndication

• Engagement practice– Short-termism– Conventional consultation– Citizen-to-citizen communication

• Capacity building– Engagement and skills transfer– Electronic democracy co-ordinating body– Consultation portal

Some enduring recommendations

Electronic Engagement: A Guide for Public Sector

Managershttp://epress.anu.edu.au/engage_citation

.htmlDr Peter John Chen

[email protected]