hal_sk The White House is surveying Pol.is on how participatory processes should be. They have also named specific tools such as Decidim. If you are interested, you can take the survey.
- love (of) Prioritize best-in-class user experiences so technical training is less critical. Support existing community-led initiatives by acknowledging and supporting their existence when launching public engagement programs on the same topics. Remove red tape that hinders agencies from engaging the public (ie. requiring permission and forms to be filled out) Allow the public to organize, discuss, and advocate for community needs in ways that will likely outlast government programs. For example, participants could opt in to sharing contact information with others supporting the same proposals. This would facilitate relationship building amongst public participants regardless of what the government does with their input.
- love (of) Provide funding incentives for Government bodies which deploy deliberate and regular public engagements. Offer robust user support and training for digital platforms to ensure users can effectively participate. Encourage diverse public participation by providing platforms that accommodate multiple languages and cultural contexts. Create mechanisms for accountability where participants can visualize and track the impact of their contributions (and othersâ) on government decisions.
- I know what youâre thinking, but the question is how to make it happen. Make citizen involvement in government efforts more fun and creative. For example, Parti.coop in South Korea simulated a press conference on a sidewalk, where they invited residents to take the dais and microphone while they covered each personâs views. Incorporate a variety of digital and non-digital outreach methods to engage a wider audience and bridge the digital divide. Create temporary waivers of government regulation, to make it possible, and easy, to work with open-source tools and small organizations. Send outreach teams into under-resourced communities to help collect and digitize their input. Write public requests for input in language that is appealing to the public, and not overwhelming long and full of legal-political People are tired of participation for participationâs sake. Empower the public with real decision-making authority by enabling direct contributions to policy drafting, budget allocation, and other binding government actions to ensure that public input is not only collected but actively influences government actions.
- People are fed up with participation for participationâs sake.â (amusing) Support the longevity and sustainability of participation initiatives by embedding them into the regular functions and budgets of government agencies. Protect public engagement programs from deepfakes, generative AI responses, and astroturf campaigns by verifying participantsâ identities. For example, the DECODE pilot in Barcelona verified participantsâ registered addresses while maintaining anonymity on the Decidim platform. Incorporate more open source digital platforms to allow for customization and adaptability to specific government needs and contexts, and re-use by other levels of government and civil society actors.
Ideas for public participation should realistically consider legal restrictions on certain gov outreach (like APA & PRA) Revise the declassification schedule to improve flow of information to the public. Retire the CUI classification to increase information to the US public, lawmakers, and regulators.
Over-index on outreach to underrepresented populations to help ensure representative results. Given previous hacks of US government data, collect as little data as possible to minimize risk of participation. Create an Executive Branch committee to audit US secrecy practices and policies. ISOO is not fulfilling its mandate. Ensure digital participation platforms are accessible to all citizens, including those with disabilities, by complying with the most current accessibility standards. Make it explicitly clear at the onset where the publicâs efforts will go, and how they will connect to something actually changing in the government. If you canât do that, donât engage. Implement transparent processes for how citizen input is used in decision-making to build trust and credibility. Prioritize the protection of participant data to maintain privacy and security. Develop clear guidelines and protocols for responding to public input, ensuring that feedback is acknowledged and acted upon.
Try LiberatingStructures.com PhotoVoice https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/photovoice/checklist
Donât launch online systems for real use until they are tested and ready.
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