OpenGovRadio 4/6/10: Spotting Holes in the OpenGov Plans for Pubilc Engagement

Here's what we'll discuss on this weeks's OpenGovRadio show (2-3pm ET, Tuesday, April 6th):


"Spotting the Holes in OpenGov Plans for Public Engagement"


A.  With the OpenGov Plans by federal agencies to be released this Wednesday (April 7th), how are we to judge whether a Plan is adequate to the task?


B.  What are the critical elements, and are they present?


C.  Are these Plans for increasing transparency actually clear enough to be followed?


D.  And are there loopholes that allow for "fake public participation"?

Joining us will be J. H. Snider with whom, during our March 2nd show, we had a short discussion about the the practice of "fake public participation".  His paper (along with two other authors; see below) appeared in a special issue of the Int'l. Journal of Public Participation about the Obama administration's "Open Government" initiative.

1.  "Deterring Fake Public Participation" by J. H. Snider, PhD. (prior to issuance of Open Government Directive, 12/8/09).
 
J.H. Snider, Ph.D., the president of iSolon.org, has written extensively about information policy and democratic reform.  During Spring Semester 2008, he was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government‘s Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.  From 2001 to 2007, he was a Markle Fellow, Senior Research Fellow, and Research Director at the New America Foundation.  From 1999 to 2000, he was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in Communications and Public Policy.  He has served on many public bodies, including as an elected school board member in Burlington, Vermont.

OpenGovRadio's host Stephen Buckley invites you to listen on your computer and, if you wish, join the live conversation with your comments and questions by calling (917) 388-4210.


Other links that we may discuss:

2.  "Previewing Agencies’ Open Government Plans" last week at the White House Conference Center (4/3/10) as reported by NCDD's representative Lucas Cioffi.

3.  "What Government Plans Are Missing" by Andrea Di Maio, The Gartner Group (4/1/10)

4.  Participedia.net is a consists of user-generated information about participatory methods and organizations (e.g., NCDD, IAP2, etc.) throughout the world.

5.  ParticipationCamp.org -- April 17th & 18th (Sat./Sun.) in D.C.

6.  Open Government Directive Workshop (#4 in Series) -- Wednesday, April 28th in D.C. (@USDA)

7.  President's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government (1/21/09)

8.  White House's Open Government Directive (12/8/09)

9.  CoffeePartyUSA.com is a group that is promoting civil discourse for an "Age of Participation".

10.  Open Government Directive google-group is an "opt-in/opt-out" moderated email-group (137 members) about OGD news & discussion.

11.  "Open Government Day Arrives April 7" by OMBwatch blog (4/6/10)

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OpenGovRadio 3/2/10: Learning from the First Year of the OpenGov Initiative

Here's what we'll be talking about on this week's show of OpenGovRadio (2-3pm ET, Tuesday, March 2nd).  We invite you to listen and join the conversation by calling in with your comments and questions (917) 388-4210.


We will looking back at the first year of the White House's "Open Government Initiative" for "Lessons Learned" (not to be confused with "Lessons-To-Be-Learned").  As a starting point, we will talk with the authors of three articles in the current issue of the International Journal of Public Participation: “Obama Administration and Public Participation".

Here is an brief desription, by IJP2 Editor Steven N. Pyser, about the special theme of  the current issue:

The International Journal of Public Participation (IJP2) brings together academicians and practitioners interested in a multidisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among researchers, practitioners, decision makers, and citizens about public participation and its impact around the world. We seek to provide a scholarly record through intellectual contributions to the literature for research, practice and teaching.

This Special Symposium issue (Volume 4, Number 1) examines, among other things, what, if any influence electing Barack Obama has had on the field of public participation. Through a commitment to continuous improvement and sharing innovative approaches, IJP2 continues to offer intellectual contributions that support multidisciplinary-based scholarship, the public interest, practice and learning as well as professional preparation.

At the same time, these materials add a necessary public participation voice to the political discourse and a resource for consideration by political leaders, public managers, citizens and all those who help to shape and implement public policy and national/local governance.

SPECIAL NOTE:  An hour is not long enough to do anything more than scratch the surface in discussing the points raised in these three articles (see links, below).  Therefore, I will be hosting a show for each author, so that we (i.e., including our callers) can delve more deeply into each of their articles. I'm not ignoring the other fine articles in this issue but, at this point, I'm trying to be judicious.  -- SB

1.  President Obama, Public Participation, and an Agenda for Research and Experimentation

Thomas A. Bryer is an assistant professor of public administration in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida. His research interests include civic engagement, collaborative public management, and bureaucratic responsiveness.

2.  Practicing a Participatory Presidency?: An Analysis of the Obama Administration’s Open Government Dialogue

Stephen P. Konieczka is a fifth year doctoral candidate in the University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Communication. His primary scholarship foci are in group communication, communication theory and philosophy, and qualitative methods of inquiry.  In this article, he refers to the "Core Values for the Practice of Public Participation" adopted by the International Assn. for Public Participation (IAP2).

3.  Deterring Fake Public Participation

J.H. Snider, Ph.D., the president of iSolon.org, has written extensively about information policy and democratic reform. During Spring Semester 2008, he was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government‘s Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. From 2001 to 2007, he was a Markle Fellow, Senior Research Fellow, and Research Director at the New America Foundation. From 1999 to 2000, he was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in Communications and Public Policy. He has served on many public bodies, including as an elected school board member in Burlington, Vermont. A draft version of this essay was submitted to the Obama Administration’s Open Government Brainstorm.

Some handy, standard OpenGov references:

4.  President Obama's Memorandum on "Transparency and Open Government" (1/21/09)

5.  White House's Open Government Directive (12/8/09)

6.  White House's Open Government: A Progress Report to the American People (December 2009)

7.  The IAP2's "Core Values for the Practice of Public Participation"

8.  The "Core Principles for Public Engagement" from the NCDD (National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation)

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