IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The proposed discussion forums will be piloted in early 2006 to allow interest groups to discuss the Broadcasting Bill with the all-party Oireachtas Communications Committee.

Lebanon came in 28th place globally and in second place regionally in the previous 2008 survey. Also, Lebanon ranked 8th among 36 upper-middle income countries (UMICs) included in the 2010 survey and 5th in the previous survey.

The e-census will last two weeks, from 1 to 14 March. Participation via the Internet is secure and convenient. It is easier to fill out the questionnaire because some information on housing and population will be provided by administrative sources, such as the population, real estate and address registers, and the State Social Insurance Fund Board of databases. E-census participants can supplement or adjust relevant data during the period of the e-census.

Good ideas are pouring in which are set to improve the city. Usually these are combined with the availability of digital information that is passed on very promptly so residents can move around their city or town more easily. Physically or digitally. Think about, for example, the online services for citizens’ affairs. Passport application? This can be done by applying for it digitally. Rubbish bin full? Then a sensor tells the municipality to send a truck to empty it. Is there a lot of traffic because of an event in a stadium? Then the traffic department can control the traffic lights in advance in such a way that the cars are able to move around more quickly. Is there a traffic jam somewhere? Sensors in the road surface tell the traffic department that the speed on adjoining roads must be reduced in order to prevent them from clogging up as well.

Government agencies, national and local and Parliament, could set up a database for citizens to register topics that interest them. They would then receive a note by email when a body was considering something that fell into the nominated areas and inviting public responses

An initiative which aims to conduct capacity building programmes for mentoring the leadership in the public service for good governance, in order to promote transparency, honesty and accountability among public office holders, starting from the grassroots - the local government councils to the precise.

Kantone, Parteien, Verbände sowie Privatpersonen können sich erstmals im Internet an einer Vernehmlassung beteiligen. Das Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen verspricht sich besser vergleichbare Antworten und eine Beschleunigung des Verfahrens. Zudem hat es den Überblick über die bereits eingegangenen Stellungnahmen.

On the topic, 'Are social media effective in dealing with government departments?' a participant shared, "I find social media amongst the easiest ways to contact the government departments. I have raised issues, asked queries and even shared my feedback with the entities through social media. What is appreciable is that despite so many interactions, the department took note of my posts and acknowledged me. They answered my queries, followed up on my complaints and valued my feedback. I think social media in the UAE is very effective."

The highlights of the revamped portal are Open Data and eParticipation, through which the government aims to build new bridges to reach to the people.

The UAE Government has engaged multiple platforms like forums, blogs, chats, surveys, polls and social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to reach to the general public and engage them in active communication with the government with regard to their opinions and experiences on government services, policies etc.

In our evolving, network e-environment we are moving from a static government to citizen platform, to a government to citizen, citizen to government interaction. The latter is a nascent form of eDemocracy. Many countries in the world have undertaken online consultations with their citizenry. More importantly, many outside groups are now engaging in democratic activities at all levels of society, through the exchange of information and knowledge gathered from government websites and the exchanging of dialogue, information, knowledge and ideas.

The report concludes that community involvement is a crucial factor in improving services especially in deprived areas. Based on a review of evidence from fifteen case studies, it shows that the use of different involvement mechanisms - including surveys, questionnaires, discussions, debates and delegating service delivery to users and communities themselves - is growing. E-Government can really help in this agenda.

E-democracy projects are springing up all over the UK. They range from online surgeries for councillors, to e-enabled citizens' panels and local government information via text message.

So what’s the big deal about “crowdsourcing” — aside from its having a certain techie-buzzword coolness factor?

Also known as citizen sourcing in some government circles, crowdsourcing is more commonly used by businesses. As with Wikipedia, it’s the process of bringing hundreds or thousands of minds together, online, to collaborate, solve problems or vet ideas. Call it outsourcing tasks to a network of people — the crowd. Participants also can provide their input in-person for smaller groups.

Facebook is already good for reconnecting with old friends, making party plans, and building virtual farms. However, a new plug-in allows citizens of small municipalities to report potholes, noise complaints, graffiti, and more via Mark Zuckerberg's social network or by smartphone. The new software has already been adopted by municipalities nationwide, and helps cash-strapped city governments save money in the process.

Using wireless keypads connected to a presentation program such as Microsoft PowerPoint, users anonymously provide demographic information, vote on issues and provide feedback during meetings. The collected data enables CMAP officials to get a pulse on what priorities are of importance to a particular community.

The addition to Ny.gov, dubbed CitizenConnects, will host live online chats with Cuomo and other staff members. Cuomo ‘s first chat is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24. Next month, chats are planned with Department of Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky on Oct. 1 and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens on Oct. 8. During these Saturday sessions, the officials will answer questions submitted through the website.

Indeed, Pinterest’s mission statement reveals a much grander vision for the site, to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting." But the rapid rise of Pinterest raises an interesting question for public agencies: Should governments use this tool to engage their citizens?