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Innovations in both politics and public service delivery help crowdsource new approaches to government. Michael Massioni discusses the potential of the networked state to enable new solutions
Doubts about the government’s effectiveness and its capacity for dramatic change abound and in the current circumstances this is understandable. This skepticism is fueled by the toxic political environment around the world and concerns about the grid. But several key trends are driving political and government innovation in new directions, often under the radar. As I discuss in my book Renewing government through political entrepreneurship and high-speed innovationNew innovation strategies and models are reshaping government and politics on a sequential basis.
These include the rise of political entrepreneurship and the increased use of agile innovation, rapid experimentation, crowdsourcing, gamification and the rise of technologies such as artificial intelligence in government. Government organizations are increasingly adopting these models from the business and technology sectors. Although many of these practices and techniques are generally in an emerging stage in government, they promise to be significantly transformative. Greater demands on government, the need to operate with more limited resources, and the need for some governments to expand economically with relatively small populations drive government change efforts.
Innovation in government is increasingly holistic, encompassing social innovation and sustainability in addition to technological change. Broader approaches to government change that involve more input from different agencies and authorities tend to achieve better results. But innovation in public policy is driven to a significant extent by projects and policies from outside, including think tanks and policy institutes No labels, The third way, New AmericaAnd Demos. A general shift is underway from a small number of large, logging pilot projects to a series of small pilot projects in practice that can be launched relatively quickly and scaled if they succeed. Human-centered design in government seems to be receiving more attention, although the effectiveness of government in implementing such design remains questionable.
Independent and alternative third parties become more popular at certain points in history, as citizen dissatisfaction with mainstream parties increases. One of the most significant developments on the political scene, what I refer to as 'innovation parties’, has significantly altered the political process and structure. These parties use very different and unique strategies to attract followers, often using new technologies. As a result, they have been remarkably successful in raising their profile, and engineering changes in political and governmental institutions. In essence, they have created new models for political parties, continuing to use techniques such as crowdfunding to generate greater membership participation and support. Some of those parties are: change Denmark and NEOS-New Austria and Liberal Forum. Additionally, non-partisan political networking organizations change UK and We are doing democracy It plays a role in greater citizen participation in politics and public policy in Denmark by educating citizens about key political issues, initiatives and tools.
Political entrepreneurs from different parties, countries and backgrounds are changing conventional political structures, processes and strategies. And not all of them are politicians. They take more risks, create new platforms like parties or software tools, and establish new types of partnerships. My book highlights the innovative and entrepreneurial approaches of people as diverse as French President Emmanuel Macron, former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Although crowdsourcing may appear as a shiny object and token exchange tool in public policy, it is accepted as a legitimate way for government and public policy makers to foster greater citizen participation, educate citizens about new programs and policies, and obtain feedback from citizens. projects and initiatives. The use of crowdsourcing in government and public policy in general has expanded significantly and has become more influential. It is used for purposes ranging from redesigning cities and seeking input from citizens on solutions to improve energy efficiency.
Gamification is also increasingly used in government, using prizes as incentives for participation. For example, Ohio used a lottery game Wax is a million, with US$5 million in prizes to encourage its residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade used a game It’s like a zooWorking with Tourism Australia and other organizations to „support Australia’s bushfire recovery” and promote tourism.
Taking into account the highly fluid and multi-sited nature of government, various emergent and future models of government are emerging, including virtual nations, next-generation city-states, and space nations. Some of these can serve as valuable test beds for new government programs and services. These opportunities have been opened up by the changing attitudes of government and the use of new technologies in government.
One of the forms of government or future government that has received much attention in recent times is the 'network state’ proposed by thought leaders such as Balaji Srinivasan. This view suggests that new states will first form online on a small scale using various technological tools, then in selected small physical outposts, then further online, and eventually become large, widely dispersed states connected via interactive media. Physical or hybrid physical/virtual micronations also serve as incubators for new government programs and processes. For example, Liberland, a micronation located on the Danube between Serbia and Croatia, conducts voting via blockchain, and has plans to be on the metaverse. In fact, the nation has described itself as a „network state”. A small Pacific island nation TuvaluMeanwhile, it rebuilds its entire government in the Metaverse in anticipation of its physical destruction in the next fifty or sixty years or so due to rising sea levels and climate change.
These examples show that the very concept of government is becoming increasingly fluid and natural, especially due to the digital delivery of a greater range of services. Civil servants must be aware of the range of possibilities that exist to ensure that government services are delivered to all at 21.St century