An insight into innovations in Public Engagement 7 th December 2009
May 17, 2015
An insight into innovations in Public Engagement
7th December 2009
How do you map participation?
Citizen Power Elected Representation
Participatory Budgeting
Petitions
Tokenism Citizen Panels
Consultations
Council hosting discussions
Non-Participation Hyperlocal websites
Social / informal interactionsArnstein 1969
The new social web is an environment superbly suited to Participatory Design: Co-
creation
Social Web: The Wild West Local Government: The Law
How can you map this relationship?
FormalConsultation
Alchemy
News and social networking sites
Managed services like webcasting or online
consultations
We need to use tools like petitions which can
transition people from informal to formal
Social Web: The Wild WestSocial Web: The Wild West
InformalSocial
Participation
Social Web: The Wild West
InformalCivic
Participation
Social Web: The Wild West Government: The Law
FormalDemocracy
Social Web: The Wild West
Old web v. New web
Collaboration / XML
Presentation / HTML
Engagement
Content
Communities
Websites
WidgetsPortals
Old eGov Gov 2.0
From a presentation by http://dontapscott.com/
Old web v. New web
ListenInform
DiscussConsult
EmpowerInvolve
Old eGov Gov 2.0
The civic question…..
Social websites are profoundly different to most government spaces…….
….and so is democracy….
…..we can’t make a decision on the basis of how many people join a
facebook group
You’ll have seen this before…..
But it makes an important point
Why?
Because the social web is not a trend that can be ignored…..
…..some facts….
This confusing collection….
…can be organised….
And is used democratically….
….by councils
And also other parts of the civic sphere…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84qMBR4UaVc
http://twitter.com/hotelalpha9
And the public use it…..
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/31/top-social-media-sites-of-2008-facebook-still-rising/
Some more facts…..
Oxford Internet Surveys:
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/microsites/oxis/
Social networking sites are not only growing in terms of people – they also have an increased share of online time
And other excellent facts….
Ofcom:http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/uk_adults_ml/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/uk_childrens_ml/
Neilson:http://server-uk.imrworldwide.com/pdcimages/Global_Faces_and_Networked_Places-A_Nielsen_Report_on_Social_Networkings_New_Global_Footprint.pdf
Web Strategist blog:http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/01/11/a-collection-of-soical-network-stats-for-2009/
The democratic question…..
People are talking……..they are just not talking to us…….
………what can we do about this?
One response is to say we need:
A permanent civic space which will provide an online space for democratic activity
A Place where we are able to manage identity within this space to make accountable decisions
Somewhere where citizens can take an equal part in shaping the outcomes of their engagement: a
co-created space
Not a website – a web space which brings in content from the existing social web and
connects it with democratic activities and outcomes
Widgets can be located out on the wider web as
well as within the container
For example:
A map widget could be used to overlay your data with contributions from the public:
Do you need to respond?
We believe the answer is yes:
Democracy and civic participation needs to happen where the people are – it can’t happen in isolationYou have to start somewhere – and at least these people are already participating in somethingOnline is a growing trend and if we take a medium to long term view it is essential that Local Government has a clear role on the webOnline is the most cost effective way to engage – move everything you can there and spend money on the face to face that can’t be replacedInnovation in public services is essential and will involve more participatory design
Do Council’s need to respond?
And if this isn’t enough:
The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 Act brings new duties:
To Promote DemocracyTo Inform, Consult and InvolveTo have an ePetitions scheme
This describes a new kind of relationship between Citizen’s and government which the Public Sector is starting to seriously explore
How do we respond?
We concentrate on what we are good at – you are not social spaces so don’t try to be – no-one wants to be your friend (but don’t take it personally….)
Listen – the conversation is already happening – you just need to find it
Provide the right support – and leave the content to the citizens
Organise geographically – not institutionally
Virtual Town Hall Pilot
Working with 5 Local Authorities to try and build permanent civic spaces for a 12 month Pilot:
ChorleyEssex County CouncilKirkleesNorth LincolnshireRedbridge
Involving citizens at every level – including to manage and moderate content
Looking specifically at how to involve elected representatives in this process
Our objective is measurable increases in democratic activity
Where to start?
Petitions
Citizens’ Perspective
People get petitioning – it has a big impact
Openness, trust, ease of use
Supporting a cause is very easy: no registration, just provide a few details about yourself
Access to information is easy
10 Downing Street :http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to..”
Launched in November 2006 the No 10 Petitions website has become one of the the largest non-partisan democracy sites by volume of users ever, with over 8m signatures from over 5m unique email addresses, representing around 10% of the entire UK population.
200 signatures on an epetition will trigger an email response from the UK Government.
Introduction to Petitioning
Public-i worked with Bristol, with help from Napier University, to rewrite the system as a piece of open source technology
The views and opinions of citizens living in the Bristol region can now be collected and discussed through their ePetitions and AskBristol site.
The discussion results are forwarded to government officials and media representatives. The goal is to thereby achieve the citizen-oriented design of future plans for the Bristol region.
Bristol ePetition websitehttp://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/
Introduction to Petitioning
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames offers the option of submitting petitions online as well as supporting or commenting on the requests of other petitioners.
Each e-petition also has its own discussion forum, where citizens can discuss the petition and surrounding issues online.
Kingston ePetition websitehttp://www.kingston.gov.uk/epetitions
Introduction to Petitioning
Why the excitement?
What democratic purpose can petitions serve?
Petitions can serve the whole LSP – they are a great ‘front door’They can provide a mechanism by which citizens can ensure that their concerns and ideas are formally addressed by an authority. It is a chance for the public to contribute to the agenda and not just the debate
Local Petitions
This petition gained rapid online support and resulted in a policy re-think by members
Where to start?
Meetings
Public meetings are probably one of your most effect tools for public engagement
They are also one of the most costly
You need to widen their reach and ensure that you are increasing the value for money
You need to think about a wider audience
http://www.tunbridgewells.public-i.tv/site/player/pl_compact.php?a=12926&t=0&m=wm&l=en_GB#the_data_area
Other Examples:
DCPA - http://www.dcpa.public-i.tv/site/ SYJS - http://www.southyorks.public-i.tv/site/West Yorkshire & South Yorkshire Authorities have both webcast
PB meetings ADSO:
http://www.adso.public-i.tv/site/ http://www.adso.public-i.tv/site/player/pl_compact.php?
a=32104&t=0&m=wm&l=en_GB
Examples: Lancashire County Council
Issue• Need to establish trust in the process•Desire to increase the transparency of the democratic process•Requirement to raise the profile of Members
•Solution• Public-i Webcasting – fixed installation in the Council Chamber plus D500 installations in 3 committee rooms
http://www.lancashire.ukcouncil.net
Examples: West Sussex - Event
Issue A need to make a meeting accessible to more people than could attendInvolving a specific local community in the decision making process
Solution• Public-i events service
http://www.westsussex.public-i.tv
http://cimarkpayne.wordpress.com/
Thank you
Email: [email protected]: Curiouscatherine.wordpress.comTwitter: @curiousc