Online Consultation In GOL-IN Countries - Initiatives to foster e-democracy
John Gøtze
The final report from the 2001 GOL-IN e-democracy project is now available. The report shows that governments around the globe are actively promoting online consultations in order to strengthen democracy and development.
The project report of 6 December 2001 is a joint product of the members of the Government Online International Network.
The report has been drafted by Pauline Poland
Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
the Netherlands.
Download the full report now. Get the PDF-version (475kB) or the Word/RTF-version (284kB).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
New information and communication technologies can be powerful tools to increase the quality of public policy, citizens’ understanding of public policy issues and their participation in government policy making. In this report from the Government Online International Network, we show that governments around the globe are actively promoting online consultations in order to strengthen democracy and development.
The report provides guidance for governments that wish to establish a productive form of online public consultations. In order to achieve this, knowledge, initiatives and experience already present in this field are clustered and made available. The material is structured in four sections:
- 1. Ensuring access to and accessibility of national government information
An e-democracy or online public consultation can only be established on the twin pillars of electronic access and accessibility. Knowledge of government decisions and plans is important to members of the public and interest groups, so that they can take action when they do not agree with what is being planned or undertaken. The transparency of national government is a first step towards the realisation of a lively and useful process of online public consultation.
- 2. Conducting pilot projects in the field of electronic public consultation
Initiatives for online public consultation vary in approach, goal, target group, breadth of subject, use of technical tools, territorial level etc. The experiments are undertaken within an administrative space defined by existing institutions, and are intended to provide experience and to show what is actually involved in online public consultation. Evaluations of these experiments thus constitute valuable material and might eventually lead to an institutionalisation of the consultations and adaptations of existing institutions.
- 3. Co-ordinating the pilot projects, compiling the resulting experiences and developing a certain standard for online public consultation
Governments need to consider what online public consultation actually involves, which methods are suitable, what technical tools and supporting services they will need and what conditions must be met by a successful process. The clustering and exchange of knowledge allows experiments to move forward beyond the limits of a certain state-of-the-art situation. Furthermore, the process of clustering and exchange of knowledge in this field gradually leads to a harmonisation of products and processes.
- 4. Formally adjusting the policy process: making changes in institutions and legislation
Successful implementation of online public consultations in policy processes requires the adjustment of existing rules and the formulation of new ones. In this way, practices that are considered as desirable or have evolved through experimentation are codified and regulated. Changes to and formulation of rules will not result only from the direct requirements of online public consultation. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see the extent to which countries are actively preparing a set of rules that will enable online public consultation to become common practice in the preparation of policy.
Our review of existing practices presents a wealth of approaches, examples, priorities and intentions by national governments. There is certainly not one standard model for online consultations. On the contrary, we see every government experimenting, taking advantage of lessons learned by pilots and experiments, and sometimes also building on examples from governments abroad.
As this report is primarily intended to provide insight, our emphasis is not on analysis, recommendations or conclusions. However some general lessons can be learnt from the report, and a number of issues that deserve attention and consideration in the future are identified.
Electronic provision of information
Most countries have started the implementation of a general policy on making available information electronically. One important question is how far governments go in publishing data. Do they publish only policies that have been agreed upon by parliament, or do they also publish information in the stage of preparation of policies? How complete is that information? This could be an interesting subject for further investigation with regard to the future of e-democracy.
Different approaches to experiments
All participating countries report experiments with online consultation. The nature and scope of these processes differ greatly. There are differences in purposes, methods, target groups, subjects etc. From this we can conclude that a general approach has not been developed. Online consultation seems to be a case of trial and error, of variety and selection and of ongoing creativity, trying to keep pace with technological innovation and societal developments.
Purposes of online consultation
The design and management of an online consultation process seem to be highly dependent on the purpose a government tries to achieve. If it strives for inclusion of all in public policy deliberations, then general accessibility and multi-channel marketing are important. If it seeks high-quality ideas from professionals, the consultation could take place in a closed environment, into which professionals are invited personally. This means that the purpose of an online consultation process should be made clear before choosing methods and techniques.
Providing feedback
Most countries are aware that consultation also means providing proper feedback to the participants. How to properly embed online consultation in this process, i.e. how to satisfy the need for accountability regarding the incorporation of the input into a final proposal, is an issue most countries are still grappling with. There is often a lack of clarity on how precisely the input provided was valued and used. A guaranteed follow-up of the consultation should enhance the enthusiasm of the public and the quality of the debate..
Rules and regulations
Some countries have already started to draw up principles or adapt existing guidelines for discussion in the online environment. It is important to exchange knowledge on the arrangements and procedures by various countries in order to be able to learn from one another and to avoid duplicating work. In the future it could also become important which institution will be responsible for the monitoring of the quality of online public debates and therefore of the application of the regulations in place.
Cross-sectoral approaches
The need for co-ordination of experiments is also felt necessary because public policy issues are to a high degree interrelated and cross-sectoral. One could also consider involving civil society organisations in the preparation and presentation of the consultation and the processing of the results. If this were to be common practice, then the borders between government and civil society would gradually flaw.
No necessity for changes in institutions or legislation?
The countries involved have not yet developed plans for organisational or legislative adjustments with regard to e-democracy in the form of online consultations. Traditional democratic systems have been arranged for the voice of citizen coming through mainly by way of elections and elected representatives. At this stage, however, governments have not found it urgent to adjust its processes and structures. If the practice of online consultations by governments will expand, then that will undoubtedly change.
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