With social networking platforms being among the tools of change in the recent Middle East upheaval, now would be the ideal time for regional governments to tap Web 2.0 for two-way communications with citizens.
Government departments in several regional countries increasingly engage with the public for feedback on e-government programmes or on specific e-services. They can now use Web 2.0 to interact on matters such as government services selection, scope, delivery and quality.
Web 2.0 provides collaborative methods within and across organisations and geographies through voice, online or video. "We believe Web 2.0 can be further utilised to help governments engage in two-way communication; creating opportunities for better engagement by and with citizens will help to drive a steady cycle of reform and renewal," Shukri Eid Atari, Director, Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Emerging Markets, told Gulf News.
Integration
"Internal deployment can be more easily controlled and managed, making the public workforce an attractive first target for exploring and adopting these new, interactive capabilities. A more integrated, innovative and collaborative public sector will promote a platform for more active social innovation, fuelling a steady cycle of reform and renewal."
Within the Middle East, a growing base of individual users already access these tools. Facebook, which introduced an Arabic language interface in March 2009, has nearly 35 per cent of the UAE population on it, while in Qatar it has an interface with 49 per cent of the resident base.
Of late, private sector companies have used social media to recruit new staff, request ideas for new products and services, and engage with their target audience.
Although many citizens in the region connect with these technologies, this is less true of governments. Initial experimentation with Web 2.0 concepts focused on general interaction with the public as a communications channel.
Due to the popularity of social media, Middle East governments now have the opportunity — and responsibility — to remove barriers to citizen participation and in turn help raise the level of discourse in on-line public debates.
It also has the potential to help governments market their e-services more effectively, and thus creating valuable efficiencies in government operations. It is through the area of e-services design and delivery that the likes of the UK, Australia and Canada, were able to increase effective engagement with citizens and businesses.
Such a dialogue has stimulated public input on municipal services and facilities and on associated budget allocations.
As Web 2.0 tools become widespread, a central element of the reform process is to make government data easier to find and use by ordinary citizens. Governments should also help educate people on the constraints faced in prioritising services and projects..
Making relevant information available to the public can have a big impact on how citizens feel about public sector organisations and decision-makers.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Naushad K. Cherrayil
Quelle/Source: gulfnews, 21.05.2011
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