Open-Source Policy Development - Part I

Tomorrow approximately half of eligible voters in the US will be casting votes for either Republican or Democratic candidates as part of the primary process. One thing that will stand out in this great democratic exercise is the extensive use of technology to get the message out.

It seems that all camps are utilizing technology – interactive website, videos on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, etc – to get their message out. Some campaigns have done this better than others. I was struck by the effectiveness of the Obama campaign to reach and mobilize younger voters (those aged 18 -29) who have responded to his message and have come out and vote in greater numbers than in the past. In fact, in some primaries so far, their vote has matched the percentage of older voters who exercised their democratic franchise. This is quite amazing. I think that part of the reason is the messenger and his message of Hope and part of the reason is his ability to connect with younger voters in the way that they connect with each other – using technology.

I came across a video on YouTube that combines music and one of his speeches entitled “Yes, We Can” you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY This is but one example of what is out there in cyberspace.

Hilary Clinton is no slouch when it comes to the web either – if you go to her YouTube site (http://youtube.com/hillaryclinton ) you will see over 200 videos posted. (BTW Obama has close to 600 videos on his YouTube site).

I think what this tells us is that the old media and the methods of communicating ideas are changing rapidly. New technologies provide for a cost-effective way to delivering a message without the “filter” of traditional news organizations. These technologies also allow governments to connect with citizens. And these technologies, if used properly should allow for an interactive dialogue between citizens and their government on a myriad of issues.

I have been thinking lately, that one of the ways we can increase citizen engagement in government is to move to what I have termed “open-source policy”. This would be akin to Linux, IBM and P&G, etc who utilize open-source methodologies to develop their products. In this way, government can mobilize the intellectual capital of all its citizens in developing solutions to societal problems. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. In the next while, I will write some more on this topic and hopefully I can find examples of governments who have been brave enough to embark on this journey. By the way, I am not talking about the annual “pre-budget consultations” that governments hold or the one-way presentation of briefs to parliamentary committees, etc. I am talking about an open, interactive and collaborative way to develop public policy.