engaging the citizen · “exists to enable citizens to receive, share and promote civic...

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“The role of e-democracy principles and practices for community foundations:a novel approach for leadership and innovation”

Vassilis Goulandris24th May 2006

CPI Ninth Annual Networking Meeting, Brussels

ENGAGING THE CITIZEN


The premise and promise of e-democracy

►“Democratic deficit”: Abstention, falling rates of

participation, global governance in question

► Citizens suffer from acute indifference, disengagement

mistrust; strong feeling of discontent, of helplessness, of being

“left-out” of the current political process, of being unable to raise

a strong voice on matters of concern.

► Serious legitimacy and accountability issues.


The information society►Weblogs, Vlogs and wikis, on-line mediated or self-rated forums

(slashdot), VoIP technologies, social software tools, Google groups,

podcasting, LiveJournal, p2p comm, groupware, virtual worlds, GRID

computing, Friendster, Wallop etc…

► Democratization of the public space; the end of the hierarchical

relationships and mediators, the rise of informal networks, new

forms of interaction, self organization and self definition of

communities.

► The new era defined by ICTs will transform our thinking and

practices on the road to more active citizenship and the way we

approach civic engagement the impact of CSOs and governance

itself.


The premise and promise of e-democracy

Communication: a cornerstone of democracy

a Virtual Agora - an e-Demos

A new interactive relationship between decision makersand citizens: True, substantial, alive, even exciting, where

the citizen talks and above all his voice is heard andrespected. “Listening” to the citizen.


The experience with e-democracy today

A few cases


Citizenspace (1)

A user-friendly citizen consultation

tool that allows you to connect to

important decision-making

processes in central and local

government, and related

organisations.

Very easy step-by-step process

integrating the simple, accessible

background info needed for well-

informed opinions. You can suggest

a new consultation or participate in

an existing one. Themes have

included climate change,

prostitution law reform, democratic

participation etc. Weak on

authentication however.

www.citizenspace.co.uk


Citizenspace (2)

Background overviewA user-friendly citizen consultation





organisations.













Citizenspace (3)

Profiling usersA user-friendly citizen consultation





organisations.













Citizenspace (4)

Questions & InfoA user-friendly citizen consultation





organisations.













Citizenspace (5)

Final ReportA user-friendly citizen consultation





organisations.













BBC Action NetworkAward winning Action Network

“exists to enable citizens to receive,

share and promote civic knowledge”.

It can help you change something in

your local area, by:

• Putting you in touch with

people who feel the same way

you do, so together you can get

something done.

• Providing you with information and

advice you'll need to help you

change your local area for the better.

www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/


Being HeardBrought by the Hansard Society,

UK, Being Heard is a youth

Participation website designed by

young people for young people. “It

aims to encourage young people to

learn, question and engage with

political ideas and practice. It tackles

political issues that affect them, in

language that’s clear and appealing,

and bridges the gap between young

people’s well-argued opinions and the

adult decision makers they want to

hear them.” Through this platform

people can engage in moderated forum

discussions, e-mail their MPs and take

part in on-line polls.

www.beingheard.org.uk


City Scan -USACity Scan in Connecticut works with

residents in urban areas to identify,

prioritize and resolve neighbourhood

problems. It uses cutting-edge

technology to empower and involve

citizens, of all ages, in local

government. Information gathered by

youth or adult volunteers, using mobile

technology, handheld computers, digital

cameras, and GIS mapping software,

help prioritize desired improvements to

their city and assess how well

government services deliver results.

This collaborative decision-making

process builds an ongoing

accountability system in a bottom-up

approach.

www.city-scan.com, www.cpec.org


Madrid ParticipaA pilot initiative of the Madrid City

Council where residents were given the

opportunity to participate in the first

multi-channel e-referendum organised in

Spain, allowing people to have their say

on a number of local policy issues,

participate in daily decision making and

daily activities in their community.

Citizens could participate from any

computer connected to the Internet –

including a number of computers made

available in public places specifically for

this occasion – or from mobile phones (SMS or by using a downloadable java application available for certain types of mobile phones).

www.madridparticipa.org


Issy-les-MoulineauxA sophisticated municipality in

France, introduced the Interactive

Town Council, allowing citizens to

interact with their political

representatives during the sessions

of the Council, and the Citizen Panel

-a tool of Online Consultation which

uses a representative sample of the

citizens who are consulted on

different subjects.

Also, direct election of councilors

through the use of Internet and a

blog for the candidates, which made

them more visible and allowed an

open dialogue between the citizens

and the candidates themselves.

www.issy.com

.


Askbristol

Askbristol.com, is an e-panel

consultation, an interactive way to

consult a wide range of citizens on

important issues. Using tools such as

discussion forums, surveys and live

chats, e-panel members can discuss

issues with experts and with each other

before giving their final views in polls or

surveys enabling Bristol City Council to

engage more effectively with the local

community on topics as diverse as

seagulls, safety, shopping and

transport.

www.askbristol.com

.


Listening to the CityThe “Listening to the City” project in

New York organized by the “Civic Alliance

to Rebuild Downtown New York”, a

coalition of more than 85 civic, business,

environmental, community, university and

labour groups. On July 20, 2002, 5,000

people from the wider area gathered

together at the Jacob Javits Center to

discuss the redevelopment of Lower

Manhattan and the creation of a

permanent memorial to the victims of 9/11.

Using modern technology, participants

had the opportunity to voice their opinions

on critical issues and vote on proposed

options, also featuring online dialogues

with 800 participants, divided in 26 small

groups, over a two week period. www.civic-alliance.org , www.listeningtothecity.org

www.americaspeaks.com

.


e-PetitionerAward winning e-Petitioner from the

Scottish Parliament allows anyone to have

a petition live on the Internet, rather than

just on paper. This way, the petition and

supporting information can be made

available to a potentially much wider

audience, giving the opportunity to

gather more names to support the petition.

Each e-Petition also has its own

discussion forum, where visitors and

signatories can discuss the petition and

surrounding issues online. There is also

space for supporting information, so that

you can add any background necessary

and put your petition in context.http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/default.asp

.


Local e-Democracy National Project

The UKs leading project

on local e-democracy.

A Two-Way Conversation

The local e-Democracy

National Project is

exploring how new

technologies can change

the way in which Councils

engage and work with

their Citizens opening the

door to a genuine, two

way dialogue and deliver

democratic renewal from

the grass roots up.

Toolkits, projects etcwww.e-democracy.gov.uk

.


The relevance of e-democracy

for community foundations


CFs at the crossroads“Charitable bankers or social change agents?”

(Emmett Carson)

Are CFs going through an identity crisis?

Causes: Maturity point, over-professionalization,

Fidelities,operational strains, community leadership at the

expense of donor fund management, fundamental assumptions in

question again.

Recurrent themes: A CF is inclusive, knowledgeable,

accountable,innovative, convenor, social change agents, a

movement not an association.


CFs at the crossroads

Assumptions in question:

► A community is defined geographically

► Local issues – Local solutions

► Donors and grant recipients reflect the willand priorities of the community as a whole.

► CFs are non-political actors.

► The CF knows the local issues best.


The Technology Trap of CFs► Functional, operational role mainly (for operational efficiency and cost effectiveness, logistics, mkg, donor

initiation & on line donations, database mining, management,

information aggregation etc)

► Technology is exploited by Fidelity, Vanguard to

their advantage

► No significant thinking on the role and the

transformative power of the Information society. An

“ego-centric” vs a “network-centric” perception


The relevance of e-democracy for CFs

► CFs are democratic institutions, the ‘people’s

philanthropy’, facilitators, mediators, promoting true

dialogue as integral to civic engagement and democracy. They

are about strong community relationships and participation.

► CF as a “hub for dialogue“, a “multistakeholder forum”, building consensus in the community.

Value of “listening”To donors, partners, authorities, grantees, NGOs, citizens…

an empowering and engaging principle


CFs & e-democracy in practice

► Improve knowledge & agenda setting: share stories, e-votes to let citizens tell you what the issues are, what your priorities should be; how your mission fares today; an alert system to allow for new problems etc

► Strengthen Relationships: Donor-Grantee-Citizen on-line forums

► Inform & Educate:offer concise, readable, accessible and balanced info on the issues of the community

► Pool community resources: e.g. wikis, collaborative platforms for people to help; multilingual docs, volunteering etc


CFs & e-democracy in practice

► Transparent & inclusive governance: e.g. let people elect some BoD members, participate in BoD or grant-giving

committee workings (webcasts, Q&A sessions etc), appoint BoD members as discussion moderators etc

► Be proactive during the set-up phase: Test your concept, determine interest, pool leaders, build alliances and bridges

► Lobby for policy shifts: your weapon is the support of the people (forums, e-petitions etc)

► Become an on-line “Clearing-house” matching community needs and means.


e-participation

• “Participation is by far the most important element of civic engagement in civil society. At the same time, in my opinion, direct citizen participation means citizens should have a direct share in community decision-making processes…” Helga Bickeboller

• “CFs …participate in and initiate community consultation about community issues….” and “ facilitate respectful dialogue on important issues;” Community Foundations of Canada


Benefits to the CF (1)

1. Assume Leadership: CFs engaging the citizen; promoting democracy;

a true agent of social change

2. Gain legitimacy-improve trust

3. Unique Positioning along the CF’s original

values (“Fidelities” cannot do it)


Benefits to the CF (2)Realize the goals…

“Working with and not for people”Anson Phelps Stokes, Sr.

“Contribute towards healthy, strong,

resilient communities.”Monica Patten

…through a mental shift

“Leadership is about taking risks”Monica Patten


Explore the path further

1. Create a multi-disciplinary working group,

a forum featuring an on-line platform for exchange of

info, views, best practices and debate (e.g. within CPI)

2. Initiate the development of a pilot project within a

CF, to test, explore possibilities, evaluate impact

3. Consider the founding of a relevant support

organization

…other ideas welcome!


Why e-democracy?

“Tell me and I’ll forget

Show me and I’ll remember

Involve me and I’ll understand”

Old Chinese proverb


ENGAGING THE CITIZEN

The picture in the PC, depicts the “ostrakon”:

The fragment of a clay pot, used instead of ballot paper in the ancient Athenian Democracy

Thank you for your patience!

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