journal article
LitStream Collection
Home
Muhlberger, Peter ; Stromer-Galley, Jennifer ; Webb, Nick
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/IP-2011-0235
Cyber-optimists anticipate that electronic media will serve as an extensive public space, a virtual agora, that will re-engage the public with politics and the policies that affect everyday life. For three years we were involved in a U.S. National Science Foundation funded project designed to enhance the participation of citizens in government agency rulemaking processes using online public deliberation and Natural Language Processing technologies. Despite a promising approach in an important arena for direct and regular public engagement, the project was met with serious obstacles in trying to secure a partnership with a government agency or interest groups. This led us to consider the policy process literature for insights regarding the obstacles we faced. That literature, a mainstay in the public policy and public administration curriculum in the U.S. and an attempt to capture how policy makers actually make decisions, heavily focuses on institutional actors and their adversarial relationships. Yet, it provides for hardly any role for the public to participate in what ideally should be a democratic process. Important components of the literature imply that institutional actors should discourage direct public engagement. The analysis seeks to clarify leverage points and contexts that could be used to promote online public engagement as a regular component of government processes.
Muhlberger, Peter ; Stromer-Galley, Jennifer ; Webb, Nick
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/IP-2011-0235
Cyber-optimists anticipate that electronic media will serve as an extensive public space, a virtual agora, that will re-engage the public with politics and the policies that affect everyday life. For three years we were involved in a U.S. National Science Foundation funded project designed to enhance the participation of citizens in government agency rulemaking processes using online public deliberation and Natural Language Processing technologies. Despite a promising approach in an important arena for direct and regular public engagement, the project was met with serious obstacles in trying to secure a partnership with a government agency or interest groups. This led us to consider the policy process literature for insights regarding the obstacles we faced. That literature, a mainstay in the public policy and public administration curriculum in the U.S. and an attempt to capture how policy makers actually make decisions, heavily focuses on institutional actors and their adversarial relationships. Yet, it provides for hardly any role for the public to participate in what ideally should be a democratic process. Important components of the literature imply that institutional actors should discourage direct public engagement. The analysis seeks to clarify leverage points and contexts that could be used to promote online public engagement as a regular component of government processes.
Muhlberger, Peter; Stromer-Galley, Jennifer; Webb, Nick
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/ip-2011-0235
Cyber-optimists anticipate that electronic media will serve as an extensive public space, a virtual agora, that will re-engage the public with politics and the policies that affect everyday life. For three years we were involved in a U.S. National Science Foundation funded project designed to enhance the participation of citizens in government agency rulemaking processes using online public deliberation and Natural Language Processing technologies. Despite a promising approach in an important arena for direct and regular public engagement, the project was met with serious obstacles in trying to secure a partnership with a government agency or interest groups. This led us to consider the policy process literature for insights regarding the obstacles we faced. That literature, a mainstay in the public policy and public administration curriculum in the U.S. and an attempt to capture how policy makers actually make decisions, heavily focuses on institutional actors and their adversarial relationships. Yet, it provides for hardly any role for the public to participate in what ideally should be a democratic process. Important components of the literature imply that institutional actors should discourage direct public engagement. The analysis seeks to clarify leverage points and contexts that could be used to promote online public engagement as a regular component of government processes.
Deckert, Mark ; Stern, Abram ; Sack, Warren
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/IP-2011-0239
The Obama Administration has outlined a set of principles and practices to support Open Government in which citizens can collaborate with the government to solve problems. The Administration is using technology, especially web-based technology, to support Open Government in practice. Many of the government's websites include video. We examine the website built to support the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST). We critique it and argue that a number of important design decisions made for the current site should be changed to better support Open Government. Key to our argument is what has come to be known as Open Video, an application of the ideals of Open Source Software to video. Our critique is followed by a discussion of a prototype system we have built to demonstrate an alternative to the current PCAST site. Our prototype is called Peer-to-PCAST to call attention to the similarities between our proposals and Peer-to-Patent, the first Open Government system built for a different context, the US Patent and Trademark Office (34).
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/ip-2011-0241
Purpose: This study examines why and how U.S. government agencies and official sadopt Twitter to expand organizational boundaries and extend communication reach.Design/methodology approach: The author uses a mixed methods strategy to explain the adoption of Twitter in government. First, Diffusion of Innovations theory provides a foundation to explain the variables that impact adoption. Then a literature review, an examination of secondary survey data of U. S. governments' use of and attitudes toward Twitter, and a website analysis of Twitter initiatives are used to describe the uptake of Twitter by government and citizens.Findings: Increased use of Twitter by citizens, private sector and nonprofit or ganizations and an emphasis on providing transparent, participatory, and collaborative government are primary reasons for Twitter adoption. Federal and local governments are adopting Twitter faster than states. Uses vary by government level, but the main use is for extending communication reach. Effective use, as demonstrated by key initiatives, is related to two-way communication and incorporating it within daily workflow. Security, controlling content and developing policies are main challenges for adoption.Practical implications: By examining the deployment of Twitter in government, this study provides a guide for agencies and government officials to explore adopting this new information and communication technology.Originality/value: This paper focuses on the use of Twitter to expand public sector organizational boundaries by extending the communication reach to engage citizens.
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/IP-2011-0241
Purpose: This study examines why and how U.S. government agencies andofficial sadopt Twitter to expand organizational boundaries and extendcommunication reach. Design/methodology approach: The author uses a mixed methods strategy to explain the adoption of Twitter ingovernment. First, Diffusion of Innovations theory provides a foundation toexplain the variables that impact adoption. Then a literature review, anexamination of secondary survey data of U. S. governments' use of andattitudes toward Twitter, and a website analysis of Twitter initiatives areused to describe the uptake of Twitter by government and citizens. Findings: Increased use of Twitter by citizens, private sector and nonprofitor ganizations and an emphasis on providing transparent, participatory, andcollaborative government are primary reasons for Twitter adoption. Federaland local governments are adopting Twitter faster than states. Uses vary bygovernment level, but the main use is for extending communication reach.Effective use, as demonstrated by key initiatives, is related to two-waycommunication and incorporating it within daily workflow. Security,controlling content and developing policies are main challenges for adoption. Practical implications: By examining the deployment of Twitter in government, this study provides a guide for agencies and government officials to explore adopting this new information and communication technology. Originality/value: This paper focuses on the use of Twitter to expand public sectororganizational boundaries by extending the communication reach to engage citizens.
Deckert, Mark ; Stern, Abram ; Sack, Warren
2011 Information Polity
doi: 10.3233/IP-2011-0239
The Obama Administration has outlined a set of principles and practices to support Open Government in which citizens can collaborate with the government to solve problems. The Administration is using technology, especially web-based technology, to support Open Government in practice. Many of the government's websites include video. We examine the website built to support the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST). We critique it and argue that a number of important design decisions made for the current site should be changed to better support Open Government. Key to our argument is what has come to be known as Open Video, an application of the ideals of Open Source Software to video. Our critique is followed by a discussion of a prototype system we have built to demonstrate an alternative to the current PCAST site. Our prototype is called Peer-to-PCAST to call attention to the similarities between our proposals and Peer-to-Patent, the first Open Government system built for a different context, the US Patent and Trademark Office (34).
Showing 1 to 10 of 26 Articles