Barriers To Using ICT For Engagement

For each of these tools (above) there is a precedent in the commercial sector. They are, however, rarer in a political context. There is little reason why those involved in policy-making should not begin to adapt these applications and refine their use for designing, scrutinising, delivering or evaluating policy.

What is holding their usage back? Costs are a major concern based on past experiences of ICT and IT procurement. Government has found it difficult to identify the necessary resources and skills in-house, so has instead contracted external providers. Some of these providers have failed to understand the unique requirements of government as a client and have opted for big-spend, big-bang campaigns over gradual, sustainable transfer of knowledge and skills. Of course, government itself has at times requested such approaches, and has often failed to provide clear specifications or changed requirements during projects.

Confidence is also a factor. The government can give the impression of being uncertain about public engagement and unsettled by the swift pace of technological development. At a departmental level, there is uncertainty as to whether public engagement should be the responsibility of those in policy or those in communications. There is nervousness about accountability both in terms of answering to ministers and the public. The response to this lack of confidence has been to rely on conventional methods; however, this has led to conservatism and, in some cases, stasis.

Perhaps the final factor holding back central government’s application of ICT for participative purposes is the lack of public demand. Only in 2005 did broadband penetrate over 52% of UK households. Home computer ownership has also been slow in building as has take-up of broadband. Although there are more mobile phones in the UK than people, the capacity of these devices has been limited to calls and shortcode messaging.

Increased personal and household ownership of new media technology, the development of greater functionality in devices, in parallel with ever-more vocal demands for increased transparency and opportunities for public participation, have now put development and investment in ICT amongst the top priorities for government. Nevertheless, it would be wrong for the government simply to push budgets at online participation projects without first understanding exactly what demand exists, how flexible the technology is and what impact new interactions with the public will have on the policy process. The ‘Digital Dialogues’ initiative was launched to help answer questions like these.