Lessons for New Zealand

Dr Joanne Caddy of the OECD suggests the following initial lessons from international experience in online engagement in policy-making should be considered: ["Promise and Problems of E-Democracy", Dr Joanne Caddy, OECD, presented to the Oxford Internet Institute E-democracy Symposium (6-7 May 2004)]

• "Technology is an enabler not the solution. Integration with traditional 'offline' tools for access to information, consultation and public participation in policy-making [Author's note: could be extended to services design and delivery] is needed to make the most of ICTs.
• The online provision of information is an essential pre-condition for engagement, but quantity does not mean quality. Active promotion and competent moderation are key to effective online consultations.
• The barriers to greater online citizen engagement in policy-making are cultural, organisational and constitutional not technological. Overcoming these challenges will require greater efforts to raise awareness and capacity both within governments and among citizens."

The integration with traditional 'offline' tools suggests that complementary channels for public and businesses' interaction with government will need to be available.

Other points emerging from international experience are that:

• the most important action areas to focus on in order to improve the value for people are to provide actual service improvements, not to just replicate offline services in the online environment, e.g. to provide a faster service/reply, better information, better help or more control
• people are encouraged to take part in the democratic process if they feel their contributions will have an effect on decisions
• people are to be engaged online, the tools need to be provided, the issues broadcast widely, the facts made clear and stated in a form that can be understood, access to the means for input given to those who will be directly affected by the issues, a safe public space provided for an informed debate, and rational incentives for the ordinary person to enter into such debates
• applications that deliver accountability and access to information along with efficiency and convenience will win public approval
• e-democracy initiatives carried out in smaller, local jurisdictions were much more successful than in larger states [The 2002 study undertaken by the British organizations, Socitm (Society of Information Technology Management) and IdeA (The Improvement and Development Agency)]
• consider that people may need to provide additional information to the State if the State is to meet customer expectations
• responding to government-initiated consultations is the most common means of trying to influence policy. However, ICTs offer the possibility of much wider and varied forms of participation [www.edemocracy.gov.uk].