1. Knocking on The Parliaments door
Parliaments in the era of digital participation.
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2. Internet and parliament met 15 years
o 95, Thomas (USA Library of Congress)
o 96, Bundestag
o 97, Danish Parliament
o 2000, 57% of parliaments were online.
o 2006, 91%
o 2007, 95%
o 2009, 97%
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3. Bad news: lost at „an awkward age‟
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4. Good news: We have left childhood behind
o As always was very hard but very exciting and now we
are approaching maturity.
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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)
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6. TV Invention year: 1925
o Fourteen days rule, (Uk, 1940-1956)
o TV in UK Parliament:
- 1985 House, 1989 Commons.
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7. The TICs & the Parliaments
o Have always had to overcome problems of adaptation.
o Never fulfilled democratic expectations generated but its
effects have been absolutely essential.
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8. Mass parties, mass media, Next mass
o 1987 SARTORI asked
what democracy is,
today we are even more
confused.
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9. e-Democracy is even more complicated
o Efforts to broaden political participation by enabling
citizens to connect with one another and with their
representatives via new information and communication
technologies (Hansard Society, 2003)
o Many small, independent projects, each engaging a
handful of people on focused, topical issues. Technology
is matched to the natura of the issue and local forums
emerge so that people can think things out and get to
know each other offline as well as online.
This is long tail democracy in action… micropojects, issued
based, choosing the right technology. Temporal, dinamic,
evolutionary. People have multiple and varied roles in many
campaigns or consultations. (Hansard Society, 2008)
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10. Where are we in the Schumpeter s Cycle?
o Organizations use the
technology to replicate
their existing processes.
o New and more efficient
ways of carrying out the
processes that underpin
their business.
o They reengineer the
business around the
technology, which has
become core.
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11. e-Democracy as a state of mind
o Change is in the air
o 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).
o 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.
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12. Apocalyptics, integrated and observers
On which side are you fighting?
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
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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.
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14. Where are the parliaments?
The way of monarchies? From efficient parts to dignified
parts of the political system.
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15. Functions
o It s legislative still the main function?
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16. Parliaments new functions
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17. New role & New strengths
From executor of citizens preferences to catalyst and
facilitator of public policy.
o Representative
o Transparent
o Accessible
o Responsible
o Effective
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18. The same old story
e-Parliament
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19. Problems
o A thousand-headed hydra: Everybody is “the
parliament”.
o Members are not familiar with new technologies
o Citizens are not familiar with the legislative process
o Citizens are not familiar with the technologies
o Too much information
o Polarization
o Lack of response
o Electoral systems not adapted
o Requires high effort
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20. WAIT…
o Technicians do not understand the parliamentarians nor
the citizens.
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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).
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22. Anthrax effect
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23. Information: Tv moves the parliaments away
o Homes opened to new forms of political
management, closer than it looks on television.
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24. Challenges
o It's the time of institutions, no fear, take the lead.
o Institution: tradition, continuity, organization… and
leadership, but make sure someone follows you (Basque
Parliament)
o Strengthening political knowledge, as HEART OF THE
CONTRIBUTION OF ICTs TO DEMOCRACY.
o Open the door it s not enough: Become a point of
contact, referral, redistribution, not gateway, relevant
information, provide context.
o Rethinking the role of hub: online support to committees,
working groups understood as open to the experts,
citizens …
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25. E-Parliaments pilars
- Info -> Communication
- Cooperation & Participation
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26. Information: E-parliaments as TV sats
o Good at communicating with those who are already
interested, but it struggles when trying to engage with
those who are not. Personalization.
o Good at broadcasting, but not so good at promoting its
work or having two-way interactions with the public.
Dialogue.
o 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
o Timing
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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...)
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28. Communication -> Dialogue
o True dialogue: chance against the ecochambers
o Initiate and facilitate the process, manage it.
o Set the agenda for dialogue. Policy as "menu
dependent".
o Ensuring quality (openness, representativeness ...).
o Legitimize the system.
o Select the proposals, make decisions.
o Take part in the substantive decisions.
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29. Information -> Communication: Content
o Institutionalization, think how far it can go, but think
seriously and take responsibility: Platform, content
(summaries of interventions and the most relevant
procedure ...)
o 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 ...
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30. Information -> Communication: Content 2
o We know that the problem is political education of people (and that
the Web could begin to solve those)
o 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.
o Digest the information, filter, select, arrange ... to establish objective
criteria and management systems.
o 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
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31. Information -> Communication: Timming
o Think of informative times variations caused by internet.
o 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…
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32. Information -> Communication:
o Well transmitted.
o Update.
o Well organized.
o Accessible.
o Adapted to the user.
o Relevant.
o Active, go out to look for the citizen.
o That leads to action.
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33. Information -> Comunication:
o Huber construct of learning:
- Knowledge acquisition.
- Information distribution: Open data.
- Filter & Interpretation of information.
- Building of an organizational memory.
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34. Cooperation
o Integrating with the society: participating on other
networks, offering volunteering, internships...
o Useful agenda, votes and thematic communities. Weekly
video chat.
o Integration with real-life activities. No place for freaks.
o Parliaments can be adapted to digital participation. I do
not know but it's the only place where it might be made
naturally.
o No false expectations generally, take it seriously. Avoid
participation window.
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35. Control
o Beyond politics, results, statistics ... especially not finish
with the adoption of laws, implementation ...
o Budget control.
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36. Conclusions
o Serious Democracy.
o Restore public trust on the integrity of institutions:
Assurance and coherence of information.
o Schizophrenia party-institutions (old wine in new bottles)
(nothing that will not be known).
o Politics will always be interesting for the same people,
perhaps a few more... Strengthen its role and provide
“services”.
o Asume new roles and give them greater visibility to these
functions.
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37. Conclusions
o Practice better communication with the public:
information selection, filter to avoid overinformation: not
only availability and accumulation.
o Context to avoid infantilization of politics.
o Archive for easier control.
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38. Conclusions
o Be more open and inclusive in its composition and
working methods: Action Platform: Groups and deputies.
o Experience new ways of involving the public: public
space.
o Streamlining the legislative process without impairing the
proper consideration of the bills.
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39. Challenges
o To improve the quality of information that governments
supply to parliaments
o To increase the efficiency of their own internal
procedures
o To increase, transparency and receptiveness with
society at large.
o 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.
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40. The e-parliamentarism is built on the pillars of an effective
commitment, clear vision and long-term strategic planning,
with appropriated resources.
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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.
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42. Thank you!
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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
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44. Looking at Latin America
Plataforma de blogs de Ecuador:
- asambleístas, comisiones permanentes,
comisiones ocasionales y grupos parlamentarios
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45. Looking at Latin America
Education United Kingdom
(http://www.parliament.uk/education/).
- Adaptación a distintos públicos (edades y
formación)
- Formatos interactivos, juegos, gráficos
espectaculares.
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