The document discusses the role of citizen technology and open government in promoting efficient, accountable governance and enhancing democratic institutions. It highlights the influence of social media on political mobilization, particularly in events like the Arab Spring, as well as the importance of citizen oversight in democratic governance. Recommendations include structuring government documents, improving access to data, and utilizing cloud-based solutions to engage citizens effectively.

1. Citizen Technology & Open
Government
Jared Ford
ICT Programs
demworks.org | @jdeepford | jford@ndi.org

2. Democracy Technology
• Goals
Promote efficient, open & accountable government
Strengthen democratic institutions (Parties & CSOs)
Advance citizen engagement, open political space
• Evolution
Citizen Political Technology

3. Social Media
Democratization of content production and
dissemination.
Shareable, user-generated content (platforms)
Allows mobilizing populations, organizing events,
sharing information, and consolidating messaging.
Influences the dynamics of power and behavior of
citizens, elected officials, and government institutions

4. Arab Spring
• Social media played a
central role in shaping
political debates
• An increase in online
revolutionary
conversations often
preceded major events
on the ground.
• Social media helped
spread democratic ideas
across international
pitpi.org borders.

5. Political Process Monitoring
• Citizen oversight of democratic governance
• Election monitoring, participatory budgeting,
legislative tracking
• Tools which collect, analyze and share information

6. afghanistanelectiondata.org

7. istinomer.rs

8. votainteligente.cl

9. Implications for Open Government
• All countries must build democratic institutions that
accommodate the new role of citizen technologies.
• OGP (Criteria = Engagement, Access to Information)
• eGov to We-GOV

10. Open Government Data
• Open governmental data becomes better data via
input from the public.
• Citizen-oriented tools are crucial to ensuring a
vibrant online and offline public sphere
• Social media allows governments to reach vast
networks of people at once and defray costs.

11. Open governmental data becomes
better data via input from the public
recovery.gov

12. Ensure a vibrant online and offline public sphere
cuidemoselvoto.org

13. Reach vast networks of people at once and defray costs.
• Inec.org
inecnigeria.org

14. Recommendations
• Documents should be structured (data.gov/semantic)
• Multiple forms of access must be provided (mkssindia.org)
• Single-point portal (data.gov.uk)
• All data should be Cloud-based (socrata.com)

15. Documents
should be
structured
with
semantic
mark-up
data.gov/semantic

16. Multiple forms of access
mkssindia.org

17. Single-point portal
data.gov.uk

18. All data should be Cloud-based
socrata.com

19. How can you address citizen demand?

20. Jared Ford
ICT Programs
demworks.org | @jdeepford | jford@ndi.org