Close, middle, distant, in between

Close, middle, distant, in between

Presentation at the UN/OECD/UNESCO meeting Paris, October 2014

@demsoc | demsoc.org

The Democratic Society


ICT dissolves traditional structures

and relationships



Formal?

Informal?

Interesting places are semi-formal (“civic”?)


The myth of the public@demsoc | demsoc.org

Demes




Assemblages


Little things you can connect

up so they work well for the specific

task in hand

(like Prof. Branestawm’s pancake maker)

A real example: NHS Citizen



No-one? Or everyone?


Or something in between?

Holding the space between

• Heard about APOPPs yesterday

• We can usefully think about them as structures for creating the space in which high-quality engagement happens

• That has to be in context of changing government attitudes and bringing together different strands of conversation


Unanswered questions

• What is the role of the policymaker in working with (and building) that space between?

• Can we create a truly public space between when so many of the routes into it are controlled by commercial organisations with an interest in hoarding information

• What capacity and infrastructure do government need, what do citizens need?


1.5 recommendations

• 1: To support the delivery of the SDGs and wider participation in civil society, member states should support the creation of independent public participation support organisations, who can use online and offline routes to bring together public voice and run informed and open civic dialogues on important isssues.

• 1.5: Write all the recommendations on the basis that they should be good principles for democratic participation rather than requiring the SDGs to come out one way or another


Government & Nonprofit

Close, middle, distant, in between