This work focuses on two innovative areas of information for development: Open Government (OG) E-citizen science (eCS)

1. INFORMATION, INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT: WHICH PUBLIC POLICIES?Susana Finquelievich and Celina FischnallerResearch Institute Gino Germany, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, and LINKS, Civil Association for the Development of Information Society

2. This work focuses on two innovative areas of information for development: • Open Government (OG) • E-citizen science (eCS) • Both are claimed by citizens’ organizations and by the media as a tool for development and citizens’ empowerment • Both make an intensive and increasing use of ITCs and mobile technologies • Both facilitate access to information for development We have considered particularly the case of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries

3. Open Government: access public data and democratization process • OG: citizens´ right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight • ICTs facilitate citizens´ access to governmental information • Concerned citizen may contribute to the creation of policy, as with a wiki document

4. OG is based on transparency, efficiency, and participation • detailed information about public expenses; • searching for information about State contracts in public data bases; • information on lobbyists; • information about financial contributions to political campaigns; • information about public hearings; • information about legislative processes

5. Open Government in LAC • LAC is becoming a world leader in open government, with rich experiences to share both within and beyond the region (OGP, 2013) • More than 500 million people or 86 % of LAC’s total population reside in OGP (Open Government Partnership) countries • Transparency is a crucial public policy tool for stimulating greater efficiency in the use and distribution of public resources and improving public services

6. Someexamples • In Brazil the internal monitoring agencies use targeted transparency to identify irregularities (Comptroller General (Controladoria-Geral da União, or CGU, transparency portal) • Colombia’s government has started a series of actions: the modernization of public administration, access and availability of government information, transparency, the development of new technologies and innovation, accountability, and the creation of tools to promote civil society participation • (Prosperity Agreements, the economic transparency site (www.pte.gov.co), and the open data portal (www.datos.gov.co).

7. Drawbacks • Targeted transparency policies are not always instigated nor enforced by the legislative branch or public sector agencies • Lack of regional coordination. National Action Plans for Open Government are inconsistent and uncoordinated between them • Texts are complex. Will they be understandable to laymen and common citizens? • The variety of plans may make difficult the comparative monitoring efforts in the future • The weakness of previous consultation processes, the absence of innovation in regards to countries’ ongoing activities, the vagueness of general commitments, and the need for concrete targets

8. E-Citizen Science: democratization of knowledge for citizen empowerment • E-science is part of the WSIS Action Line C7, “ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life”. This line points to E-Science, focusing mainly on improvement of knowledge, exchange between scientists, and between scientists and citizens • eCS is the collection of data by volunteer citizens to contribute to scientific projects. Recent advances are due to new scientific approaches plus the use of ICTs • In eCS, citizens become science prosumers

9. E-Citizen Science in LAC • Citizen cyberscientists, as well as initiatives and funds, are at present mainly concentrated in Europe and North America • Direct correlation between explicit public policies regarding the development of science, technology and ICTs, and the number of eCS projects • Emerging eCSprojects are emerging in LAC: El Salvador project to rescue ancient words, Brazil@home, Birds World in Uruguay, Reporta in Mexico

10. Common grounds between OG and eCS initiatives in LAC: • Neither of them fully includes citizens as main actors • In both, citizens are mainly data providers, or they can have relative access to governmental or scientific data, but they scarcely participate in the whole process • Both should go beyond merely digitalizing bureaucracy and opening information sources; they should be tools for rethinking the role of the state and science from a pro-citizen perspective • It would be necessary to enhance OG and citizens participation in Science & Technology + Innovation, to IFAP´s Information for Development

11. Proposals for Open Government policies in the WSIS + 10 process • Establish a regional coordinationforNational OG Plans • Recommend wide consultation processes with civil servants and citizens before the implementation of OG policies, in order to identify the actual needs • Governmental information should be expressed in accessible language for all citizens • Surveys, monitoring and evaluations are key elements in OG policies. Establish internationally compatible sets of indicators to measure, follow up and evaluate OG public policies and their outcomes

12. Proposals for E-Citizen Science policies in the WSIS + 10 process • Promote thematic conferences to discuss policies and strategies aimed at the development of eCS, as part of the WSIS 2015 process • Regional organizations (European Union, Mercosur, Unasur, etc.) could identify priority areas to use eCS for regional integration • Promote public scientific policies worldwide in order to fund eCS programs and processes, train scientists and experts, and disseminate the results

13. THANK YOU!Questions?Susana Finquelievich (sfinquel@gmail.com)Celina Fischnaller (celina.links@gmail.com)