Knocking on The Parliaments door

1. Knocking on The Parliaments door Parliaments in the era of digital participation.

2. Internet and parliament met 15 years • 95, Thomas (USA Library of Congress) • 96, Bundestag • 97, Danish Parliament • 2000, 57% of parliaments were online. • 2006, 91% • 2007, 95% • 2009, 97%

3. Bad news: lost at ‘an awkward age’

4. Good news: We have left childhood behind • As always was very hard but very exciting and now we are approaching maturity.

5. 1450 Gutenberg “Every person of the Parliament ought to keep secret and not to disclose the secrets and things done and spoken in Parliament House to any other person, unless he be one of the same House, upon pain of being sequestered out of the House, or otherwise punished as by order of the House shall be appointed” (Order and Usage how to keep a Parliament, 1571)

6. TV Invention year: 1925 • Fourteen days rule, (Uk, 1940-1956) • TV in UK Parliament: • 1985 House, 1989 Commons.

7. The TICs & the Parliaments • Have always had to overcome problems of adaptation. • Never fulfilled democratic expectations generated but its effects have been absolutely essential.

8. Mass parties, mass media, Next mass • 1987 SARTORI asked what democracy is, today we are even more confused.

9. e-Democracy is even more complicated • Effortstobroadenpoliticalparticipationbyenablingcitizenstoconnectwithoneanother and withtheirrepresentativesvia new information and communicationtechnologies (HansardSociety, 2003) • Manysmall, independentprojects, eachengaging a handful of peopleonfocused, topicalissues. Technologyismatchedtothe natura of theissue and local forums emerge so thatpeople can thinkthingsout and gettoknoweachother offline as well as online. Thisislongtaildemocracy in action… micropojects, issuedbased, choosingtherighttechnology. Temporal, dinamic, evolutionary. Peoplehavemultiple and varied roles in manycampaignsorconsultations. (HansardSociety, 2008)

10. Where are we in the Schumpeter´s Cycle? • Organizations use the technology to replicate their existing processes. • New and more efficient ways of carrying out the processes that underpin their business. • They reengineer the business around the technology, which has become core.

11. e-Democracy as a state of mind • Change is in the air • The thesis that argues that Internet will not change the form of government (input) is strengthened, but determinedly may affect the efficiency and quality of public services (output). • The technocratic obsession with push-button democracy has tended to distract serious attention form the likely impact of ICTs upon the health of representative democracy.

12. Apocalyptics, integrated and observers I have seen in the Halls of Congress more idealism, more humanness, more compassion, more profiles of courage than in any other institution that I have ever known. Hubert H. Humphrey On which side are you fighting?

13. Before flight: Parliamentary authorities warns that purely technical perspective leads to frustration. Changes without perspective can fail for not adapting to the environment and can succeed and be counterproductive.

14. Where are the parliaments? The way of monarchies? From efficient parts to dignified parts of the political system.

15. Functions • It´s legislative still the main function?

16. Parliaments new functions

17. New role & New strengths Fromexecutor of citizenspreferencestocatalyst and facilitator of publicpolicy. • Representative • Transparent • Accessible • Responsible • Effective

18. The same old story e-Parliament

19. Problems • A thousand-headed hydra: Everybody is “the parliament”. • Members are not familiar with new technologies • Citizens are not familiar with the legislative process • Citizens are not familiar with the technologies • Too much information • Polarization • Lack of response • Electoral systems not adapted • Requires high effort

20. WAIT… • Technicians do not understand the parliamentarians nor the citizens.

21. WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? They are digital citizens, they want to be engaged but on their terms; and it is the equal responsibility of parliaments and their members to make this happen, to go out and meet citizens where they are and not expect the public to come to them. (Parliament 2020: International comparison).

22. Cloud: Anthrax effect

23. Information: Tv moves the parliaments away • Homes opened to new forms of political management, closer than it looks on television.

24. Challenges • It's the time of institutions, no fear, take the lead. • Institution: tradition, continuity, organization… and leadership, but make sure someone follows you (Basque Parliament) • Strengthening political knowledge, as HEART OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF ICTs TO DEMOCRACY. • Open the door it´s not enough: Become a point of contact, referral, redistribution, not gateway, relevant information, provide context. • Rethinking the role of hub: online support to committees, working groups understood as open to the experts, citizens …

25. E-Parliaments pilars • Info -> Communication • Cooperation & Participation

26. Information: E-parliaments as TV sats • Good at communicating with those who are already interested, but it struggles when trying to engage with those who are not. Personalization. • Good at broadcasting, but not so good at promoting its work or having two-way interactions with the public. Dialogue. • Large amounts of information, which are not coordinated into one coherent message, and that parts of Parliament are trying to simply communicate their own messages. Highlight the proccess. Content • Timing

27. Personalization • ICTs have created greater demand for information and has raised the standard used to judge the adaptation and personalization of information. • We continue to make website for experts, or for ourselves and we do not realize there is no parliament without citizens. • Informability? Accessibility? User tests? Assessment tools? • Formats (computer graphics, videos...)

28. Communication -> Dialogue • True dialogue: chance against the ecochambers • Initiate and facilitate the process, manage it. • Set the agenda for dialogue. Policy as "menu dependent". • Ensuring quality (openness, representativeness ...). • Legitimize the system. • Select the proposals, make decisions. • Take part in the substantive decisions.

29. Information -> Communication: Content • Institutionalization, think how far it can go, but think seriously and take responsibility: Platform, content (summaries of interventions and the most relevant procedure ...) • Institutionalization and Decentralization: • Great challenge pending information on parliamentary activity. • Group activities and the parliament. • Customize more the content. • Vocabulary, and management issues, openness to external inputs (platform), • interoperability, break the separation of powers. • Educational uses, (of which would be used at parties in election campaign) • Proactive: study commissions, commissions of inquiry ... give out. Appearances ...

30. Information -> Communication: Content 2 • We know that the problem is political education of people (and that the Web could begin to solve those) • Highlighting issues arising in debates and parliamentary business thematically was a way to draw people in through keywords in search engines and links as opposed to highlighting the process. • Digest the information, filter, select, arrange ... to establish objective criteria and management systems. • Functions and ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY GUIDANCE (online petition) gateway. TOPICS Paradox of Plenty: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.” It´s not what you know, it´s how you know it. Herbert a. Simon

31. Information -> Communication: Timming • Think of informative times variations caused by internet. • File: Change of term (important). Scan and archive emails received in the chamber? In the USA was done when the ‘anthrax’ but it might be useful for transparency, control…

32. Information -> Communication: • Well transmitted. • Update. • Well organized. • Accessible. • Adapted to the user. • Relevant. • Active, go out to look for the citizen. • That leads to action.

33. Information -> Comunication: • Huber construct of learning: • Knowledge acquisition. • Information distribution: Open data. • Filter & Interpretation of information. • Building of an organizational memory.

34. Cooperation • Integrating with the society: participating on other networks, offering volunteering, internships... • Useful agenda, votes and thematic communities. Weekly video chat. • Integration with real-life activities. No place for freaks. • Parliaments can be adapted to digital participation. I do not know but it's the only place where it might be made naturally. • No false expectations generally, take it seriously. Avoid participation window.

35. Control • Beyond politics, results, statistics ... especially not finish with the adoption of laws, implementation ... • Budget control.

36. Conclusions • Serious Democracy. • Restore public trust on the integrity of institutions: Assurance and coherence of information. • Schizophrenia party-institutions (old wine in new bottles) (nothing that will not be known). • Politics will always be interesting for the same people, perhaps a few more... Strengthen its role and provide “services”. • Asume new roles and give them greater visibility to these functions.

37. Conclusions • Practice better communication with the public: information selection, filter to avoid overinformation: not only availability and accumulation. • Context to avoid infantilization of politics. • Archive for easier control.

38. Conclusions • Be more open and inclusive in its composition and working methods: Action Platform: Groups and deputies. • Experience new ways of involving the public: public space. • Streamlining the legislative process without impairing the proper consideration of the bills.

39. Challenges • To improve the quality of information that governments supply to parliaments • To increase the efficiency of their own internal procedures • To increase, transparency and receptiveness with society at large. • Information divide: • Complexity of information and communication. • Dialogue at risk, openness vs control polarized. • Effectiveness and costs: standardization. • Political, cultural and social differences. • Critical: knowing what works and what does not.

40. The e-parliamentarism is built on the pillars of an effective commitment, clear vision and long-term strategic planning, with appropriated resources.

41. It is not the tool but proper care of people: Democracy that includes dialogue: people want to feel worthy, to be heard, to have their questions answered, always acquainting that there is a person on the other side.

42. Thank you!

43. Looking at Latin America Cámara de Diputados de México, INFOPAL.MOVIL Buscadores móviles todavía generan problemas en los términos. Falta de difusión masiva, breaking point

44. Looking at Latin America Plataforma de blogs de Ecuador: - asambleístas, comisiones permanentes, comisiones ocasionales y grupos parlamentarios

45. Looking at Latin America EducationUnitedKingdom (http://www.parliament.uk/education/). • Adaptación a distintos públicos (edades y formación) • Formatos interactivos, juegos, gráficos espectaculares.