The UK has jumped several places in the United Nations’ 2010 e–Government Development Index, from tenth place in 2008 (the last time the index was created) to fourth. The latest table shows < href=https://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/global_reports/10report.htm target= “_blank”>puts the United Kingdom ahead of all other European countries, and behind South Korea, the United States, and Canada, respectively.

Full results of the survey are due to be published very soon as part of the UN’s upcoming report, “2010 United Nations e-Government Survey: Leveraging e-government at a time of financial and economic crisis,” which assesses the ability of e-government during the ongoing global economic environment.

“The public trust that is gained through transparency can be further enhanced through the free sharing of government data based on open standards,” states a UN overview of the report. “The ability of e-government to handle speed and complexity can also underpin regulatory reform.”

It continues: “While technology is no substitute for good policy, it may give citizens the power to question the actions of regulators and bring systemic issues to the fore. Similarly, e-government can add agility to public service delivery to help governments respond to an expanded set of demands even as revenues fall short.”

The preliminary overview of the report also points out that in the two years since the previous report, governments around the world had made “great strides in development of online services, especially in middle-income countries,” though it acknowledged: “The costs associated with telecommunication infrastructure and human capital continue to impede e-government development.”

Global E-Government Survey 2010

News; https://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=22406

In attesa di leggere i contenuti e le conclusioni del rapporto…intanto sono disponibili le “classifiche” dei paesi sulle varie categorie prese in esame.

Per la eParticipation, spiace dirlo, l’Italia risulta solo 55esima

L’evento vedrà il susseguirsi di convegni, tavole rotonde e seminari in cui verranno illustrati , tra gli altri, Best Practice mondiali per l’e-democracy,strategie di comunicazione per la PA, visioni condivise per favorire la modernizzazione della PA.

Il ricchissimo programma è consultabile all’indirizzo: https://www.veneziacamp.it/programma/

Nella prima giornata segnalo, in particolare, la prosecuzione della discussione per la definizione del Manifesto dell’Amministrare 2.0, che ha visto, fin dalla primavera scorsa, ed attraverso una serie di momenti di confronto, lavorare assieme circa 70 persone tra esperti, amministratori locali, aziende, studiosi.

Il Manifesto Amministrare 2.0 è un documento in progress che diversi attori o network quali FORUMPA, Formez, il Comune di Venezia, ilClub di Amministrare 2.0, Artea Studio e Innovatori PA stanno promuovendo con lo scopo di proporre una visione condivisa per favorire la modernizzazione della PA digitale.

Sabato 24/10 si svolgerà un Bar Camp: a partire dai temi suggeriti (CULTURA DIGITALE, CITTADINANZA DIGITALE, NUOVI PARADIGMI DELLA COMUNICAZIONE, SOCIAL MEDIA Al SERVIZIO DEI CITTADINI) i partecipanti, secondo la classica formula del bar Camp, possono proporre on line relazioni ed interventi: https://www.veneziacamp.it/eventi/barcamp/

Sempre sabato, all’interno di un evento, si cercherà di giungere alla redazione e condivisione di un Manifesto per la cittadinanza digitale.

Questi solo alcuni dei temi ( quelli più vicini agli interessi del nostro network per gli altri vi invito a consultare il programma.

https://barcamp.org/veneziacamp2009

The specific aims of this seminar are:

- to provide a theoretical broad, updated and in-depth overview of trends, challenges and opportunities for citizens participation emerging in the new phase of development of online sphere, with a specific look both to the institutional initiatives and the citizens usages of new media and web 2.0 technologies;

- to promote an open discussion about the institutional and not-institutional approaches to e-participation.

The event will be divide in three panels. The first will be dedicated to the institutional role and the so called top down initiatives, through an analysis of the state of the art and a look to the prospects. The second panel will focus on the so called bottom up experiences, directly promoted by organizations and citizens networks to enlarge and enrich participation. Finally, during the third panel, after a look to the research findings about the Italian e-democracy national policies, all participants will be involved in an open discussion about the main issues of the seminar.

During the first week of April, on the website www.partecipa.net all concerned could confirm their presence to the seminar and also formulate questions and issues in sight of the final discussion. In the same webpages, speakers and guests of the event will publish short abstract and bibliographic references about the main topics under analysis.

E-democracy 2.0

Istituzioni, cittadini, nuove reti: un lessico possibile

Wednesday 8th of April, Bologna (Sala Borsa, Piazza Nettuno 3)

h. 10.00 – welcome greetings
Gaudenzio Garavini – Regione Emiklia-Romagna, Direttore Generale Organizzazione, Sistemi Informativi e Telematica

h. 10.15 – E-democracy 2.0: Institutions, citizens and new networks? Participation beyond the top-down approach

moderator: Sandra Lotti – Regione Emilia-Romagna, Coordinator of the Piano Telematico dell’Emilia-Romagna

Panel 1: The institutional role

Bryan Loader – University of York, Professor of Political Sociology, Co-Director of SIRU (Social Informatics Research Unit), Department of Sociology

Laura Sartori – Università di Bologna, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Communication Sciences

Wainer Lusoli – Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Scientific Officer

Sabrina Franceschini – Regione Emilia Romagna, Servizio Comunicazione, Educazione alla Sostenibilità, project manager “Partecipa.net” and “Io Partecipo”

Panel 2: The development of the online public sphere

Rolf Luhrs – Pan European eParticipation Network (Pep-net), Coordinator

Chiara Sebastiani – Università di Bologna, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science

Peter Mambrey – Universitaet Duisburg-Essen, hhonor professor Politikwissenschatf Institut

Mayo Fuster Morell - European University Institute, Networked Politics, Ph.D. Researcher at the Social and Political Science Department and Member of Networked Politics project

Vittorio Alvino – Deep Association (Electronic Democracy and Public Participation), President

h. 12.30/13.15 buffet

h 13.15 – Panel 3: E-democracy, institutions and citizens: the Italian case

Discussion

moderator: Anna Carola Freschi – Università di Bergamo, Assistant Professor of Sociology

The research findings about the Italian e-democracy national policy

Open discussion with the Italian practitioners (institutional and non-institutional projects).

Work languages: Italian and English (simultaneous translation services).

First of all I give you a brief presentation about our strategy and plan in the field of eGovernment and eParticipation.

The Emilia-Romagna always considered the development of the information society as one of the new and most important aspects to think about and shape the future. For these reason, the Regional Government consider strategic the development of the new information and communication technologies, as well as an advanced use of these from citizens, enterprises and public administration, who can exploit a lot of opportunities, both in their relations with citizens and during its everyday work. Most importantly, development of an information society is for the Regional Government not only a technological matter, but also, and first of all, growth of a new education and a digital culture for everybody, fighting against the “digital divide”.

To achieve these purpose, the initiatives towards citizens and enterprises are grouped in two areas:

l        access and participation tools: thanks to a multi-channel approach, in the near future citizens could relate more easily and user friendly with the Public Administration, and their confidence in the use of  on-line services will constantly grow;

l        e-government services: on-line services will be homogeneously distributed across the regional territory. They will typically feature an high interactivity degree, and will be designed and upgraded observing the principle of maximum user satisfaction.

In the field of participation, the first project which I illustrate is Partecipa.net.

It is an e-democracy project (operative since year 2005), aimed to stimulate the citizen participation, through new mechanisms of interaction and a new information system.

Thanks to the collaboration of several Municipalities and Provinces coordinated by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government, the project developed a permanent connection system, allowing telematic participation of citizens to the definition of local policies. The first project output was an „E-democracy Kit“, a complete set of technological and methodological tools. Partecipa.net started re-using skills coming from others successful e-government projects. After the implementation of the Kit, the project has developed various participation processes in several public administrations of the region.

For more information: www.partecipa.net (website of the project) and www.partecipa.net/wcm/partecipanet/menu/partecipa_net/the_project.htm

( English section).