Voice or chatter? Making ICTs work for transformative engagement

What are the conditions in democratic governance that make information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated citizen engagement transformative? While substantial scholarship exists on the role of the Internet and digital technologies in triggering moments of political disruption and cascading upheavals, academic interest in the sort of deep change that transforms institutional cultures of democratic governance, occurring in ‘slow time’, has been relatively muted. This study attempts to fill this gap. It is inspired by the idea of participation in everyday democracy and seeks to explore how ICT-mediated citizen engagement can promote democratic governance and amplify citizen voice. The study involved empirical explorations of citizen engagement initiatives in eight sites – two in Asia (India and Philippines), one in Africa (South Africa), three in South America (Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay) and two in Europe (Netherlands and Spain).DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Evolving an open e-governance index for network societies

The Open e-Governance Index (OeGI) is a framework for measuring open e-governance, developed and tested in four Asian countries in 2012. This report discusses the second phase of OeGI project, which examined whether the framework was applicable to countries outside Asia. It describes the concept and methodology of the OeGI and provides an overview of its use in Colombia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Uganda. Open e-governance is about how state and non-state actors use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to steer society collectively. The OeGI project defines open e-governance as the presence of: • meshed e-government: the ability of government to provide integrated, citizencentric online services • e-participation channels: the existence of digital channels for public engagement that complement existing face-to-face or traditional media-led interactions • digital inclusion: the presence of policies and programmes that support the public’s wider use of ICTs for development • civil society use of ICTs: the use of ICTs by non-state actors to promote their interests in the public sphere • an open legal and policy ecosystem: the extent of access among the general public to information and knowledge, and government recognition of the right to free expression and rights over personal communication, cultural freedom and the use of local languages. This framework was used to assess e-governance in five countries. This revealed that while there is progress towards open e-governance, there are dimensions that need to be strengthened. For example, while there is a great demand for online participation among citizens, there are many policies and programmes that governments need to undertake before this can happen. Further, norms for transparency and accountability are critical in ensuring that national ICT systems can be used for political and socio-economic progress.DFIDSidaUSAIDOmidyar Networ

Urna de Cristal, Colombia

Urna De Cristal (UDC) is an e-participation platform launched by the presidency of Colombia in 2010. The platform allows citizens to raise queries/concerns to any government department/agency, put in requests for grievance redress with a guarantee of an official response. It also has an e-consultation space where government departments can solicit public opinion for aiding policy development. UDC has Web TV and Internet radio channels, and linkages to social networking and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, Youtube and Instagram. This case study on UDC attempts to address the following questions: What visions of citizen engagement inform UDC?; What norms of citizen engagement are legitimated through UDC?; Has UDC contributed to a cooperative and democratic dialogue between state agencies and citizens? Stakeholder interviews were analysed in the historical context of Colombian democracy, that has been marked by a continued co-existence of electoral politics with violent in-fighting between groups, representing the traditional elites in power, popular movements excluded from the political arena, and criminal organisations funded by narco-trafficking. This study of UDC reveals that the project is marred by deep mistrust and suspicion that citizens bring to any formal interactions with authorities, the lack of government’s investment in ensuring safety and inclusiveness of the platform, and the limited digital capabilities of citizens. As a result, this initiative for amplifying citizen voice runs the risk of ending up as mere chatter.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Country overview Brazil

The inclusion of social participation concerns in public policies in Brazil reflects a contemporary approach to democracy, according to which modern citizens should be able to contribute to the creation of laws and policies, as well as contribute with states in their implementation. This report aims to provide an overview of the normative and institutional state of art of ICT-mediated citizen participation in Brazil. The first section provides an overview of the political and civic liberties framework in Brazil. In the second section the landscape of ICT-mediated citizen engagement is mapped. In the third section, the report engages with implications of technology mediations for deliberative democracy and transformative citizenship. The study argues that the discussion around participation (and e-participation) has dimmed in the last few years in Brazil. It could be a consequence of the current crises in the democratic system that we face today, the diminishing presence of social movements as effective members of government and the lack of proper institutionalisation of forms of online participation. The study also states that existing literature on participation and ICT-mediated engagement in Brazil seems to point out that increasing participation will be a complex process involving not only political and cultural change, but the understanding that technology decisions are increasingly political decisions. Access to the Internet and its use and appropriation policies will be ever more connected to democracy.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

When digital democracy falls short: insights from Colombia

Colombian e-government development has been internationally recognised by the UN as a leader in Latin America, and one of the 20 most developed nations of the world in the area. However, ICT tools and services such as broadband are a luxury. Colombia suffers from an access divide due to economic and infrastructural limitations, and a second level digital divide because of weak information and data literacy. This Brief focuses on identifying the impact of ICT mediation in democratisation and citizen engagement in terms of what is understood as governance, how those representations are legitimised, and the ways in which they change power relations. The authors reviewed Colombian ICT mediation policies, placed them in relation to the context, and contrasted them with previous research about local e-democracy developments. This gave a characterisation of how Colombian e-government routines have evolved. The Brief analyses the government project called Urna de Cristal (UDC), which is the centrepiece of President Santos’ mandate on e-government policy and democratisation. This brief is part of a series from IT for Change produced from its Voice or Chatter research project, which examines the relationship between ICT-mediated citizen engagement and democratic governance.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

eHealth Conversations : using information management, dialogue, and knowledge exchange to move toward universal

The publication of eHealth Conversations, developed with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), represents a major step forward for the PAHO/WHO Strategy, since it explores ways of implementing regional mechanisms with free and equitable access to information and knowledge sharing. These initiatives aim to advance the goals of more informed, equitable, competitive, and democratic societies, where access to health information is considered a basic right. This publication is one of the instruments used by PAHO/WHO to develop the initiatives outlined in the Strategy, which coincides with the global eHealth strategy. One of the fundamental needs for the improvement of eHealth is the dissemination of information, and PAHO/WHO is assuming a leading role in this effort. The development of this new electronic publication is a key step in disseminating information that will be useful for decision makers on applying these technologies for the health of the Americas. This electronic book is one of the products of PAHO/WHO’s project: “eHealth Conversations: Using Information Management, Dialogue, and Knowledge Exchange to Move Toward Universal Access to Health.” Participants in these conversations included experts on electronic health and other specialties. Through virtual dialogues, the experts contributed with knowledge and reflections on the present and the future of eHealth in the Americas, analyzed the situation, and made recommendations for the implementation of electronic health initiatives. These recommendations are not only intended for PAHO/ WHO, but also for governments and the private sector. The aim of the project is to guarantee the convergence of local, national, and regional initiatives regarding the adoption and application of ICTs for public health, with special attention on critical issues in this field. It also intends to strengthen individual and collective capacities of health workers and institutions, connecting them in a network of on-line health networks, as well as to reinforce the PAHO/WHO eHealth program.Acknowledge the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for its financial support in preparing this publication and developing the project titled “eHealth Conversations: Using Information Management, Dialogue, and Knowledge Exchange to Move Toward Universal Access to Health;

Country overview Colombia

In Colombia, technological modernisation coexists with activities supported through obsolete technologies and conservative mindsets. The country is in a permanent struggle between tradition and innovation, and as the country is not a technology-creator, technology acceptance involves elements of fashion and psychological dependency from developed countries. Technology is intimately related to economic, political and military domination. The local application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to governance suffers these problems. Information Technology (IT) responds directly or indirectly to the interests of the global elite that created it. This report aims at providing an overview of the normative and institutional state of art of ICT-mediated citizen participation in Colombia. The first section provides an overview of the political and civic liberties framework in Colombia. In the second section the landscape of ICT mediated citizen engagement is mapped. In the third section, the report engages with implications of technology mediations for deliberative democracy and transformative citizenship.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Country overview Uruguay

Uruguay is a particular case within Latin American in terms of how strong, stable and traditional its democratic institutions are. The country has also seen recent implementation of policies to promote development by the spread and use of information and communications technologies. An enabling policy framework, an emergent digital culture and accumulated experience in civic engagement also contribute to the implementation of open government action plans in the country. This State of Art Report explores how information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enabled civic engagement in Uruguay. The first section provides an overview of the political and civic liberties framework in Uruguay. In the second section the landscape of ICT mediated citizen engagement is mapped through the Open Government Action Plan. In the third section, the report engages with implications of technology mediations for deliberative democracy and transformative citizenship.DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Appropriation of ICT in the educational field: approach to public policy in Colombia years 2000-2019

This work document presents an approach to the appropriation of Colombian public   policy related to the ICTs in the educational field, during the period of        2000 thru 2019. After a walkthrough to the scenario of international initiatives for the           implementation of ICTs in schools, some theoretical approaches are presented that configure what in this work has been named the field of digital appropriation in education, which oriented the analysis of data. Subsequently, the analytical results of the public policy milestone documents during the aforementioned period are presented; as well as the testimonies of stakeholders, showing an underlying instrumental digital literacy logic, subordinated to the market, that does not seem to allow the generation of digital culture from the        school. Amongst other aspects, it is concluded that, despite the investment made in connectivity and equipment provisioning, public policy has not transformed the practices of educational actors

Summit of the Americas: The IDB Agenda to Support the Mandates of the Summits of Quebec and Nuevo León: Activities and Strategic Programs

During the Hemispheric Summit that took place in Quebec, Canada, in April 2001, the Inter-American Development Bank presented a set of 22 strategic programs intended to contribute to meeting the mandates that stem from the Summits of the Americas and the commitments that are part of the Plan of Action adopted in Quebec. Since then, the IDB has carried out intensive and complex financial and technical activities in the context of those 22 strategic programs. The programs fall into five areas that summarize the mandates adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas, namely: democratic governance and political development; integration and economic development; ecology and sustainable development; equity and human development; and connectivity and technological development. During the Special Summit in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (January 2004), the IDB presented a report summarizing achievements made since 2001 with respect to the programs presented in Quebec. In addition, the Declaration of Nuevo León establishes new mandates.Research & Development, Economic Development & Growth, Democracy, Governance, Mar del Plata Summit, November 2005, SOC2005-15