The New Government?

Following my blog ‘Co-Creation is Changing the way we Work’ here are my thoughts on how co-creation is changing our politics and the way will be governed in the future.

Changing Our Politics

Co-creation and its underlying philosophy of wanting to have things done with us rather than at us are also driving change in the way we want to be governed. The new buzz word here is “Government 2.0” or the Conservative Party’s clumsier version “the post bureaucratic age” where things are not dictated to us from above through “command and control” but are driven up from below through community collaboration and co-creation. Michael Gove the Shadow Secretary of State for Children, School and Families said in an article way back in 2007 : “In every area of life the future rests not with the exercise of massive power from one central point but the enabling of growth through constant innovation and adaption. We can no longer control society as a diplodocus controlled its tail, from one tiny brain that is immeasurably distant from the action. We are entering a post-bureaucratic age in which the model of society that has been dominant for the past 200 years is becoming obsolete”.

In this new political world the web is transferring more power to the people while forcing governments to open up; become more accountable and more transparent – we don’t need elections every 4 years for this. As Fraser Nelson said in the Spectator recently “the basic transaction in parliamentary systems of representation – “vote for me and I will do this for you” – has become outdated. People want the power to do it themselves”. David Cameron in an article in The Guardian a few months ago said: “We’re living in an age where technology can put information that was previously held by a few into the hands of almost every-one. So the argument that has applied for well over a century – that in every area of life we need people at the centre to make sense of the world for us and make decisions on our behalf – simply falls down. In its place rises up a vision of real people power. This is what we mean by the Post-Bureaucratic Age.”

Or put another way Barack Obama said “We must use all available technologies and methods to open up the federal government, creating a new level of transparency to change the way business is conducted in Washington, and giving Americans the chance to participate in government deliberations and decision-making in ways that were not possible only a few years ago.” (Barack Obama’s campaign platform on technology). Tim O’Reilly the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, Inc., thought by many to be the best computer book publisher in the world has started a new gathering called Gov 2.0 Summit, which explores how technology can be a trans-formative force in government. It is hosting a Conference (the first of its kind) in Washington on the 9-10th September with the following preamble:-

“Over the past fifteen years the rise of the World WideWeb has resulted in remarkable new possibilities and business models reshaping our economy. An entire new generation has come of age with this technology and is committed to using its creativity, collaboration and civic-mindedness to address the challenges facing our country and the world. With the proliferation of issues and not enough resources to address them all, many government leaders recognize the value in public-private partnerships, as well as the opportunities inherent in harnessing a highly motivated and diverse population to address the great challenges facing our nation.

There is a new compact on the horizon: government maintains information on a variety of issues and that information should rightly be considered a national asset. Citizens are connected like never-before and have the skill sets and passion to solve problems affecting them locally as well as nationally. Government information and services can be provided to citizens where and when they need it. Citizens will be empowered to become leaders, with government, to spark the innovation that will result in an improved approach to governance. This has never before been possible, and we now have the chance to make this compact a reality.”

We only have to look at what happens when politicians try to control things – what we see or can’t see; what we can do for ourselves and what we can’t – the expenses scandal in this country that has turned the mother of all parliaments into the sewage of all parliaments. Or more strikingly the spontaneous revolt in Iran. Whether it’s called “Government 2.0” or “The Post Bureaucratic Age” the philosophy of co-creation is driving this trend. And it is an incredibly good force for democracy and wider society.