Professional Documents
Culture Documents
March 2003
BRIEF
What lessons can Today, all OECD Member countries recognise new information
we learn from and communication technologies (ICTs) to be powerful tools for
current practice in enhancing citizen engagement in public policy-making.
online Despite the limited experience to date, some initial lessons for
engagement? online citizen engagement in policy-making are emerging:
What lessons can we learn from current ment during the implementation and evaluation
practice in online engagement? stages of policy-making indicates that they are
inherently less amenable to the use of new ICTs, or
Engaging citizens in policy-making is a sound simply less widespread at this time, remains an
investment in the design and delivery of better pub- open question.
lic policies and a core element of good governance.
Many OECD Member countries have begun to Tailoring
experiment with a range of ICTs to enable greater
citizen involvement in policy-making and initial expe- A wide range of public bodies are now exploring
rience illustrates the opportunities, dynamics and the use of new ICTs to engage citizens in policy-
limits of these new tools. Most OECD governments making: from local governments, to national govern-
are working to bridge the “digital divide”, and recog- ments and parliaments as well as those operating at
nise the need to ensure that all citizens, whether the intergovernmental or international level (e.g. the
online or not, continue to enjoy equal rights of par- European Commission). Clearly, the objectives and
ticipation in the public sphere. However, their current scope of the online engagement efforts undertaken
emphasis on extending direct individual access by these bodies differ considerably (e.g. for local
(through the provision of hardware and public urban planning or national education policy). The
access points) risks overshadowing the importance target groups addressed also vary accordingly, and
of public/private partnerships (such as with NGOs may include all citizens (e.g. within a given geo-
and business associations) to multiply points of graphic area), all interested parties (i.e. independ-
access and provide valuable support to citizens in ently of location) or specific sub-sections of the
using these new technologies. While many believe population (e.g. marginalised groups, entrepre-
ICTs have great potential, today they remain com- neurs, youth).
plementary to traditional tools for public consulta-
tion. Integration
ICTs can enable greater citizen engagement in Experience to date highlights the importance of
policy-making… ensuring the integration of online and traditional
methods for citizen engagement in policy-making.
A review of OECD Member countries' experience Both in terms of providing information on the policy
reveals three key factors for consideration when issue or the online engagement exercise itself (e.g.
seeking to use ICTs for online citizen engagement, through posters, printed brochures, local press) and
namely: Timing, Tailoring and Integration. when providing a range of options through which
citizens may provide feedback (e.g. post, tele-
Timing phone, fax as well as email or co-ordinated tradi-
Most examples of online engagement are to be tional and online discussion forums). The active
found at the agenda-setting stage of the policy promotion of online consultation exercises (e.g.
cycle. This is not surprising given that this is early through leaflets, stickers, web site advertising ban-
enough in the process to be most open to sugges- ners) is also necessary. ICTs can also be used to col-
tions from citizens and is characterised by a signifi- lect and analyse unsolicited comments and
cant degree of public deliberation - which new ICT complaints, which contain valuable information for
tools are designed to facilitate. It may also indicate policy-makers (e.g. on problems with policy imple-
the exploratory or experimental nature of these mentation). The specific technologies chosen for
online initiatives, given that this is a stage where online engagement vary in their degree of sophisti-
online engagement will be most likely to comple- cation - most examples feature a dedicated web site
ment, rather than replace, traditional methods for with email options. Others adopt specialised soft-
policy-making. A few countries have developed ware to manage online deliberation in a discussion
online tools suitable for use at all stages of the policy forum or use password-protected discussion areas
cycle, others have undertaken online engagement at for registered users. Ensuring competent and con-
a specific stage (e.g. policy formulation or monitor- structive moderation of online deliberations is also
ing). Whether the lack of examples of online engage- a crucial factor for success.
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
But raise new questions for government… How can ICTs enhance online
engagement?
While new information and communication technol-
ogies (ICTs) offer significant opportunities for greater The effective engagement of citizens by govern-
citizen engagement in policy-making, they also raise ments rests on their recognition of access to infor-
a host of new questions for government. For exam- mation as a basic precondition, consultation as
ple: How are citizens’ rights of access to information central to policy-making and public participation as
to be ensured in the online era? What aspects of a relationship based on partnership. The new tools
government’s current structure, organisation, offered by ICTs can offer assistance in each of these
domains. Their impact can also be greatly enhanced
resource allocations and available skills need to
through use in combination with traditional, “offline”
change to respond to new standards in their interac- methods.
tions with citizens? What is the status of civil serv-
ants' online responses to citizens' queries or their Ensuring greater accessibility of more
submissions to an electronic discussion forum? information…
Only a few OECD Member countries have begun to The Internet is the medium of choice for all OECD
address such issues (e.g. by developing a code of Member countries when providing citizens with an
conduct for civil servants, or official guidelines on unprecedented degree of access to government
answering citizens' emails). ■ information. ICTs offer powerful tools for searching,
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
selecting, and integrating the vast amounts of infor- ponents of citizens' concerns (such as civil society
mation held by the public administration as well as organisations or CSOs)?
presenting the results in a form that can be readily
A number of tools are available to governments
used by individual citizens.
intent on collecting citizens' views and suggestions
For citizens seeking information online, the distinc- on issues proposed for online consultation, includ-
tion between access and accessibility is a real ing: government consultation portals or web sites;
issue. Even when citizens do have access to ICTs, email lists; online discussion forums; online media-
searching for a specific piece of government infor- tion systems to support deliberation; ICT support in
mation online is rarely a simple or straightforward conducting traditional 'face-to-face' consultations.
exercise. Designing better public information online
In the interests of transparency and accountability,
must start from the perspective of the end-users of
governments also need to develop ICT tools for the
government information and requires an assessment
analysis of public input and to provide feedback to
of their needs, capacity to find, digest and use rele-
citizens on how their comments and suggestions
vant information. Enhancing the accessibility of
have been used in reaching decisions on public pol-
online information can be achieved by: providing
icy.
online information in terms of specific life events or
policy issues; search engines; software for style As is true for traditional consultations, the earlier an
checking and improving the intelligibility of govern- online consultation is planned in the policy cycle the
ment texts; multilingual translations of official docu- better its chances of success. Online consultation
ments; provision of online glossaries. also faces some specific challenges, such as its in-
built self-selection of those participants who already
As any user of online information may testify, quan-
have access to new ICTs – thereby raising the risk of
tity does not mean quality. While all OECD Member
over-representation of a small cross-section of the
countries provide an increasing amount of govern-
population. However, such risks can be reduced by
ment information online, the quality of the informa-
serious efforts to enable wider access (through pub-
tion available varies considerably in terms of its
lic kiosks, cyber-cafes and community centres, as
accessibility, relevance and utility to citizens wishing
well as via digital TV and other platforms) and an
to be informed of, or participate in, policy-making.
adequate investment in promoting and supporting
Faced with an increasing information overload, the
online consultations by governments and their part-
role of trusted “information mediators” (whether
ners from civil society.
within, or independent of, government) capable of
identifying, aggregating and explaining relevant Exploring online public participation…
information on specific policy issues of concern to
citizens is likely to grow. Only a very few OECD countries have begun to
experiment with online tools and discussion formats
Harnessing the interactivity of ICTs for online which leave citizens wide latitude in proposing
consultation… opportunities for participation, setting the agenda for
discussion, submitting their own proposals and
The unprecedented degree of interactivity offered by
shaping the final outcomes.
new ICTs has the potential to expand the scope,
breadth and depth of government consultations with Among the options for online public participation
citizens and other key stakeholders during policy- currently being explored in some OECD Member
making. At the same time, such new tools pose sig- countries are the use of electronic discussion groups
nificant challenges to governments in terms of their for the deliberation and development of policy
technical, political and constitutional implications. options; e-petitions (to government or parliament);
Among the questions raised are: How can govern- and online referenda. While many of the barriers to
ment ensure an equal hearing and ‘assured listening’ such innovative forms of online engagement may be
to so many individual voices? How will such inputs technical, others are more closely related to cultural
be integrated into the policy-making cycle? How can resistance to new forms of partnership with citizens
guarantees for personal data protection be ensured? and civil society in policy-making and constitutional
What is the role of traditional mediators of public factors shaping the traditional policy process within
voice (such as elected representatives) and new pro- representative democracies. ■
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
What are the main challenges for online this emerging issue. National governments should
engagement? take advantage of the innovations being introduced
at the local level, in parliaments and in other coun-
Online citizen engagement in policy-making is new tries. Of course, any approach to online engagement
and examples of good practice are scarce. Hence that proves successful in a given context must be
the imperative for building on the experience of oth- adapted to the culture, traditions and objectives of
ers and the need for further comparative work on other government units who might seek to replicate
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
this experience. On the basis of OECD Member knowledge management techniques could support
countries' experience to date, five main challenges the policy-making cycle.
for the future of online engagement of citizens in pol-
icy-making may be identified:
4. Evaluation
As governments increasingly support the develop-
1. Scale
ment of ICTs to enable citizen engagement on pol-
From a citizen’s perspective how can technology icy-related matters, there is a corresponding need to
enable an individual’s voice to be heard and not be know whether online engagement meets both citi-
lost in the mass debate? There is a need for policy zens’ and governments’ objectives. Evaluation tools
measures and technologies to promote and main- to assess what value-added online engagement has,
tain virtual public spaces that enable an individual’s or has not, brought to policy-making must be devel-
voice to develop into a community (public) voice. oped. The benefits and impacts of applying technol-
From a government perspective, there is the chal- ogy in opening up the policy process to wider public
lenge of how to listen to and respond appropriately input have yet to be evaluated and articulated.
to each individual contribution. Fostering online
communities and developing ICT tools to support 5. Commitment
such communities could enable a more collective Engaging citizens online raises legitimate expecta-
approach. tions that public input will be used to inform policy-
2. Capacity making. Governments need to adapt their struc-
tures and processes to ensure that the results of
The second challenge is how to provide citizens with online consultations are analysed, disseminated and
greater information on public issues and to enhance used. This commitment must be communicated
their capacity for listening to, and engaging in, argu- widely, demonstrated in practice and validated regu-
ment and counter argument. At the same time, larly (e.g. via annual reports, audits, parliamentary
greater efforts are needed to raise awareness and reviews). ■
capacity among government officials with regard to
the opportunities and limits of new channels for citi- For further information
zen engagement in policy-making offered by ICTs.
Accessible and understandable information and the The full report on which this Policy Brief is based,
opportunity to engage in debate, enabled by such Promises and Problems of E-democracy: Challenges
tools as next generation mediated discussion of Online Citizen Engagement, will be published this
forums, are basic preconditions. Closely connected year and may be purchased from the OECD Online
issues are those of bridging the digital divide and the Bookshop (www.oecd.org/bookshop). The report
involvement of traditionally disenfranchised groups includes numerous examples of current practice
in policy-making (e.g. those subject to social exclu- from 12 OECD Member countries (Australia, Can-
sion, youth). The challenge is to develop tools for ada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Mex-
online engagement that provide citizens with an ico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovak Republic,
opportunity both to participate in, and to under- Sweden, UK) as well as the European Commission.
stand, collective decision-making and to develop These country case studies were collected under
the skills for active citizenship. the auspices of the OECD E-Government Project.
The Policy Brief and report draw heavily upon the
3. Coherence
insights and guidance of national experts and sen-
Governments need to take a holistic view of the pol- ior officials from the centres of government in OECD
icy-making cycle and design technology to support countries participating in the Expert Group on Gov-
the processes of informing, consulting, participating, ernment Relations with Citizens and Civil Society.
analysing, providing feedback and evaluating. Inputs
received at each stage in the policy-making cycle Additional information on this topic can be obtained
must be made available appropriately at the other from: Joanne Caddy;
stages of the process. This will lead to better quality email: joanne.caddy@oecd.org
policies that are more likely to be successfully imple- For more information on the OECD E-Government
mented and better informed citizens. Consideration Project contact Edwin Lau;
should be given to addressing if, and to what extent, email: edwin.lau@oecd.org. ■
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Policy Brief
Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making
The OECD Policy Briefs are prepared by the Public Affairs Division,
Public Affairs and Communications Directorate.
They are published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General.
00 2003 50 1 p 4
The OECD Policy Briefs are available on the OECD’s Internet site
www.oecd.org/publications/Pol_brief