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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