Transcript The city as… - Universitetet i Oslo

XXI Nordiske kommuneforskningskonferanse
Universitetet i Oslo 22.- 24. 11. 2012
Towards the Virtual Municipality
- And a Case for (More) Virtuous Research
Harald Baldersheim
Dept of Political Science
University of Oslo
Three topics:
Trajectories of digital transformation
Mechanisms of digital transformation
Research on digital transformation
Electronic
apps for...
Information
retrieval
Communication
Participation
Electronic
apps for...
Information
retrieval
Communication
Participation
Political
arena
The city as...
Service
Community
provider
Electronic
apps for...
Information
retrieval
1 way
Communication
2 way
Participation
# way
Political
arena
The city as...
Service
provider
Community
Citizen Empower ment
Electronic
applications
for...
Information
retrieval
Communication
Participation
Political arena
More
transparency
through
searchable
electronic
archives,
webcasting of
meetings
The city as...
Service provider
Community
Easier access to
city services
through service
catalogues, quality
checks
Mutual citizen
awareness
through ecatalogues of civic
groups
Electronic
applications
for...
Information
retrieval
Political arena
More transparency
through searchable
electronic archives,
webcasting of
meetings
Communication Better informed
deliberations
through web
forums, issuespecific discussion
groups
Participation
The city as...
Service provider
Community
Easier access to
city services
through service
catalogues, quality
checks
Mutual citizen
awareness through
e-catalogues of
civic groups
Better targeted
services through
e- complaints
procedures, online
satisfaction
surveys
More civic
interaction
through
online meetings
Electronic
applications
for...
Information
retrieval
Political arena
More transparency
through searchable
electronic archives,
webcasting of
meetings
The city as...
Service provider
Easier access to
city services
through service
catalogues, quality
checks
Community
Mutual citizen
awareness through
e-catalogues of
civic groups
Communication Better informed
deliberations
through web
forums, issuespecific discussion
groups
Better targeted
More civic
services through
interaction through
e- complaints
online meetings
procedures, online
satisfaction surveys
Participation
More quality
through
interactive service
provision
More extensive
participation
through i-voting,
e-budgeting,
e-consultation
Enhancement of
community life
through
networked social
capital formation
The city
as…
Political
arena
Service
provider
Community
Transformation into what?
The city
as…
From
Political
arena
Representative
democracy
Service
provider
Community
Digital Transformation
To
Selfrepresentation
The city
as…
From
Political
arena
Representative
democracy
Selfrepresentation
Service
provider
Equitable service
provision
Self-service
Community
Transformation
To
The city
as…
Transformation
From
Political
arena
Representative
democracy
Selfrepresentation
Service
provider
Equitable service
provision
Self-service
Community
Cohesion
through social
capital
Cohesion through
digital capital
To
But what is the mechanism of transformation?
Authority? Command?
>> reforms
Rewards? Self-interest? >> bureau-shaping
Proximity? Diffusion?
>> ripples in the water
Playfulness? Briccolage? >> disjointed construction
Chance? Garbage Can? >> chance encounters
But what is the mechanism of transformation?
The fundamental transformative mechanism of ICTs:
Intelligence enhancement
): Faster and qualitatively better
information retrieval and processing
Digital transformation of governance into
The digital commons
(discursive society; wisdom of crowds)
?
Digital transformation of governance into
The digital commons
(discursive society; wisdom of crowds)
or
Tragedies of the digital commons
(tyranny of digital demagogues; flash mobs; Big Brothers)
?
The city
as…
Political
arena
- Digital Transformation
From
Representative
democracy
Trust in govt.
To
Selfrepresentation
Distrust in govt
The city
as…
- Digital Transformation
From
Political
arena
Representative
democracy
Selfrepresentation
Distrust in govt
Service
provider
Equitable service
provision
Street-level
bureaucrats
Self-service
Screen
bureaucrats
To
The city
as…
- Digital Transformation
From
Political
arena
Representative
democracy
Selfrepresentation
Distrust in govt
Service
provider
Equitable
service provision
Self-service
Privatization
Community
Cohesion
through social
capital
Caring
neighbourhoods
Cohesion through
digital capital
Surveillance
society
To
Strategies of research:
Take advantage of «The municipal laboratory»
Strategies of research:
Take advantage of «The municipal laboratory»
-Numerosity*
-Propinquity*
*Thanks, Peter John
Strategies of research:
Take advantage of «The municipal laboratory»
-Numerosity
-Propinquity
+ Contextuality
Strategies of research:
Take advantage of «The municipal laboratory»
-Numerosity – test variance models
-Propinquity – test process models
-Contextuality - test pragmatic models
Strategies of research:
Take advantage of «The municipal laboratory»
-Numerosity – test variance models
more digitalization, more democracy?
-Propinquity – test process models
social media as change agent for local democracy?
-Contextuality - test pragmatic models
how have local actors used social media to improve
citizen relations?
Ethics for local govt researchers
needed more than ever!
Ethics for local govt researchers
Remember:
There are people behind the numbers!
There may be victims behind the change!
Solutions are often oversold!
Ethics for local govt researchers
Remember:
Beware of:
There are people behind the numbers!
- The number cruncher’s backlash
There may be victims behind the change!
- The model monger’s pit
Solutions are often oversold!
- The advocacy trap