Promise and Pitfalls: In Search of Promise and Pitfalls: In Search of Best Best

Practices in E-ParticipationPractices in E-Participation

By Elissa Orlando, Greg Munno and Young Gyu SinBy Elissa Orlando, Greg Munno and Young Gyu Sin

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Fall 2010Fall 2010

Presentation OutlinePresentation Outline Brief reviewBrief review

– Defining e-government and e-participationDefining e-government and e-participation– Selecting evaluative criteriaSelecting evaluative criteria– Lessons for our casesLessons for our cases– RecommendationsRecommendations

Implementation and LeadershipImplementation and Leadership– Politics matterPolitics matter– Exploration of motivations and incentives Exploration of motivations and incentives

essentialessential– Leadership as difference makerLeadership as difference maker– Creativity and collaboration needed to control Creativity and collaboration needed to control

costscosts

Transactional Government / Transactional Government / Collaborative GovernmentCollaborative Government

““Electronic governmentElectronic government refers to government’s use refers to government’s use of technology … to enhance the access to and of technology … to enhance the access to and delivery of government information and service to delivery of government information and service to citizens, business partners, employees, other citizens, business partners, employees, other agencies, and government entities. … (and) to agencies, and government entities. … (and) to improve core business operations and deliver … improve core business operations and deliver … services faster, cheaper, and to wider groups of services faster, cheaper, and to wider groups of customers.”customers.”

- David McClure, then Associate Director of the U.S. General David McClure, then Associate Director of the U.S. General Accounting Office, Congress in 2000Accounting Office, Congress in 2000

E-ParticipationE-Participation, however, is not about transactional , however, is not about transactional efficiency. It’s focus is on collaborating with citizens efficiency. It’s focus is on collaborating with citizens in the formation of better public policy. This can in the formation of better public policy. This can include gathering comments, hosting dialogs, include gathering comments, hosting dialogs, holding electronic votes, building networks of holding electronic votes, building networks of engaged citizens and more.engaged citizens and more.

- Macintosh, 2004Macintosh, 2004

Methodology of evaluationMethodology of evaluation Four Four case studies were case studies were selected and measured selected and measured against our criteria.against our criteria.

– Case studies included Case studies included general, government-wide general, government-wide efforts and targeted efforts. efforts and targeted efforts.

– Cases came from three Cases came from three countries, including Korea countries, including Korea and US, which scored No. 1 and US, which scored No. 1 and No. 2 in UN’s 2010 E-and No. 2 in UN’s 2010 E-government survey. government survey.

Identify elements of Identify elements of good design, good design, recommendations for recommendations for local governments and local governments and lessons for leadership.lessons for leadership.

CriteriaCriteriaBottom line

Is there evidence that the e-participation system led to better decision making?

Quality Quality UsabilityUsability RelevanceRelevance

Democratic criteriaDemocratic criteria EngagementEngagement TransparencyTransparency Political EquityPolitical Equity Community ControlCommunity Control MotivationMotivation

Gangnam-GuGangnam-Gu

Driven by new mayor with a goal of leveraging citizen Driven by new mayor with a goal of leveraging citizen expectations to move the bureaucracyexpectations to move the bureaucracy Provided strong incentives to participate and a robust Provided strong incentives to participate and a robust framework for evaluating the system. Also made effort to bridge framework for evaluating the system. Also made effort to bridge digital divide. digital divide. Succeeded in garnering participation, in moving the Succeeded in garnering participation, in moving the bureaucracy toward a more citizen-centric approach and (for bureaucracy toward a more citizen-centric approach and (for better or worse) in increasing the mayor’s grip on political powerbetter or worse) in increasing the mayor’s grip on political power High cost and other elements of system may not translate to High cost and other elements of system may not translate to less affluent areas.less affluent areas.

Manor, TexasManor, Texas Multiple participation tools allow for broad participationMultiple participation tools allow for broad participation

– SeeClickFix allows citizens to direct DPWSeeClickFix allows citizens to direct DPW– Manor Labs allows for idea submission, crowd sourcing and Manor Labs allows for idea submission, crowd sourcing and

developmentdevelopment Excellent framework for handling citizen input: (1) Allow Excellent framework for handling citizen input: (1) Allow

citizens to easily submit ideas; (2) allow fellow citizens to citizens to easily submit ideas; (2) allow fellow citizens to sort and rank via crowd sourcing; (3) develop idea; (4) sort and rank via crowd sourcing; (3) develop idea; (4) implement or reject and report back to citizens. implement or reject and report back to citizens.

Few accommodations to the digital illiterate. May not be Few accommodations to the digital illiterate. May not be scalable to a bigger city. scalable to a bigger city.

Cologne, GermanyCologne, Germany

Multiplatform approachMultiplatform approach Online tools were best suited to the Online tools were best suited to the

task and heavily utilizedtask and heavily utilized Gave citizens real power over a Gave citizens real power over a

segment of government spendingsegment of government spending

Bremen, GermanyBremen, Germany

Multimedia, multiplatform approachMultimedia, multiplatform approach Focused on a specific policy question – to Focused on a specific policy question – to

chlorinate the pool or go with other methodchlorinate the pool or go with other method Process was seen as fair and lead to Process was seen as fair and lead to

consensusconsensus

Evaluation : Summary Evaluation : Summary TableTable

CriteriaCriteria QuestionQuestion Bremen, Bremen, GermanyGermany

Cologne, Cologne, GermanyGermany

GangnaGangnam, Koream, Korea

Manor, Manor, TexasTexas

UsabilityUsability

11 N/AN/A XX OO XX

22 N/AN/A N/AN/A N/AN/A OO

33 N/AN/A N/AN/A N/AN/A XX

44 OO OO OO △△

55 N/AN/A N/AN/A XX △△

RelevanceRelevance 66 OO OO OO OO

EngagementEngagement77 OO OO OO OO

88 OO OO OO △△

TransparencyTransparency99 OO OO OO OO

1010 OO OO OO OO

Political Political equityequity

1111 △△ △△ N/AN/A △△

1212 OO XX N/AN/A △△

Community Community controlcontrol

1313 OO OO OO OO

1414 OO OO OO OO

MotivationMotivation1515 OO OO OO OO

1616 △△ OO OO △△

RecommendationsRecommendations

Transparency is a Transparency is a precondition for precondition for successful e-successful e-participation. participation.

Social context Social context should shape should shape projectsprojects

Creativity is Creativity is essentialessential

EvaluateEvaluate

Motivations Are ImportantMotivations Are Important

A clear path to policy A clear path to policy makers, responsive makers, responsive policy makers, and the policy makers, and the ability to influence ability to influence policy making is a policy making is a strong motivation for strong motivation for citizens.citizens.

Benefits to individual Benefits to individual bureaucrats is less bureaucrats is less clear. As such, strong clear. As such, strong leadership, training leadership, training and concrete and concrete incentives are incentives are imperative. imperative.

Implementation Road MapImplementation Road Map

Cost and off-sets--Technology

--Training--Partnerships--Third party

--Grants--User Fees

Communication--Multiplatform--Social media

--Training

Politics/Leadership--Goals and Objectives

--Transparency -- Winners and lossers

--IT Staff/lawmakers

ImplementationImplementation

Participation moves quickly from commentary, to Participation moves quickly from commentary, to dialog, to influence, to policies that may create dialog, to influence, to policies that may create winners and loserswinners and losers

In Gangnam, a political leader leveraged citizen In Gangnam, a political leader leveraged citizen participation to motivate – and control – the participation to motivate – and control – the bureaucracybureaucracy

In Manor, some implemented ideas were brought In Manor, some implemented ideas were brought to the legislature, others were seen as in the to the legislature, others were seen as in the bureaucratic domain and were never signed off bureaucratic domain and were never signed off on via traditional democratic processeson via traditional democratic processes

In Germany, citizens gave politicians cover on In Germany, citizens gave politicians cover on tough decisionstough decisions

POLITICS MUST BE ACCOUNTED FORPOLITICS MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR

Additional IssuesAdditional Issues

CostCost– Third party partnersThird party partners– PartnershipsPartnerships– User FeesUser Fees

CommunicationCommunication– German multi-platform modelGerman multi-platform model– Difficult to succeed with online aloneDifficult to succeed with online alone

LeadershipLeadership Bottom up technologies, Bottom up technologies,

ironically, require strong ironically, require strong leadership to implementleadership to implement

All ICT projects are about All ICT projects are about change and require change and require change to be successfulchange to be successful

Buy-in from top is keyBuy-in from top is key Change agents must Change agents must

work one-on-one to show work one-on-one to show late adopters the waylate adopters the way