Conclusions
Our political institutions have been slow to pick up on the internet, the new communicative spaces it is enabling and the new interactions that are developing therein. But we are still in the formative stages and opportunities are by no means gone. Government has made good progress since 2005 not only in terms of using ICT to provide information but also in engaging with citizens as part of drives to enhance policy making and improve service provision.
There are a great many websites already established that have direct and indirect political interests. Government can use and add value to some of these. However, there is also a case to be made for government to build and facilitate its own sites and online communities. This is particularly true while government is learning about online engagement and may well continue to be the case when there is a need to provide authoritative and sometimes closed and secure online platforms for citizen-government interaction.
What is clear at these formative stages is that there are a great many technologies available that are flexible enough to be applied to the ranging needs of online engagement and the various user groups involved. However, Digital Dialogues has revealed that government’s concerns should be less about sourcing the right technology and more about the availability of suitable content, facilitation skills and persuading the public that it is worth engaging with the government.
There are lots of groups – commercial and otherwise – who will sell ‘good’ engagement to government. However, there have not been enough attempts at online engagement yet, or sufficient longitudinal evaluation of those exercises that have taken place to inform definitive ‘best practice’. Before anyone on the outside of government can supply its demands, government must first know what government needs.
Digital Dialogues has helped in this regard. Digital Dialogues found central government in a static position online. Over the course of 18 months the conditions were created in which previously uninitiated agencies, departments and ministerial offices could try their hand at setting up and administering online engagement tools without undue risk or financial commitment. Having done so, these teams were then in a position to better understand politics online, the technology that underpins it and how they could be involved. We were able to observe this process and produce case studies so that others inside – and outside of – the government could learn from the experience.
Because the case studies we covered invited citizen participation, we were also able to find out who will engage with government and the policy process online, and why. This information about demographics, attitudes and behaviours is as important in terms of informing engagement policy and practice, as the observations about the government participants and processes.
During the case study exercises, citizens were asked to engage in complex issues, deliberate and begin to solve problems. Those participating were from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and represented various profiles – from the curious onlooker to the front-line service deliverer. They tended to already be active online, but most had not directly interacted with government processes or representatives before – this includes many local government staff, academics and expert practitioners.
The vast majority of users reacted positively to the availability of online engagement routes and expressed interest in future opportunities. Enthusiasm was tempered with a healthy scepticism. Whilst the opportunity to interact directly with policy makers and deliberate amongst peers was welcomed, there remains wariness about how genuine these government efforts are and what degree of influence the public can have on the decision-making process. This has directly influenced levels of take-up and participation.
Even if the influence of these online engagement exercises on specific policies has been small, it has had substance and credibility. Based on qualitative feedback, the more that government is able to show that it takes public participation seriously the more people will be prepared to get involved in the future – whether on- or offline. Sustaining opportunities will also help participants develop deliberation skills that will improve the content and structure of their contributions.
With Digital Dialogues there has been deliberate avoidance of a ‘big bang’ approach to online engagement; instead the intention has been to start small and steadily build toward effective and sustainable practice. Ultimately, it has benefited government to explore alternative routes, develop new skills and send out a statement about its commitment to better engagement and more transparent decision-making processes.
