Democracy and Data

Prabhat Agarwal (European Commission) & Anthony Zacharzewski (The Democratic Society)

Big data : a work in progress

We’ve seen it brings benefits to policy makers

But data isn’t knowledge

Data Knowledge

And  it  definitely  isn't  politicsAnd it definitely isn’t politics

Better democracy or supercharged technocracy?

Open Policy making

Audience

Information

Idea generation

Selection

Deliberation

Implementation

Feedback

Better understanding

Deeper knowledge

Shared view of the world

False positives

Illusion of authority

Excuses to ignore

Data as civic contribution

Data in the open: Red book of evidence

Data and agility

“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world”

Upstream engagement

Photo: CycleStreets

Six principles of democratic civic space

• Public

• Co-productive

• Self-defined

• Open

• Information-rich

• Trusted identity