Collaborative processes are adjuncts to traditional democratic processes. As such, they have to measure up to principles of good democratic practice. One of the core principles by which a collaborative process will be measured is the extent to which it is inclusive and representative of the public and key stakeholder interests. If it fails to be inclusive and representative, the outcomes of the process will likely not be viewed as legitimate.
In setting up laws or procedures to ensure that open government processes mechanisms are effective and accountable, here are some questions that need to be given careful consideration:
•Who gets to participate? How are they chosen? ¬ Do there need to be specifications about how representative or inclusive they are?
•What authorities do participants have? Are they advisory or decision-making?
•Who has rights to be involved, to influence, to be heard, and to challenge the exercise of power?
•What access do participants have to resources – time, space, information, data, and skills?
•What procedures, if any, guide how they operate?
•Who are the sponsors and participants accountable to?
•How and when does the collaborative process need to be linked to traditional democratic mechanisms?
Comments (1)
The traditional way it works is that someone is elected using the funds provided by their political patrons; they then do the will of those patrons while rendering lip service to their nominal constituents. Here, if that process were to be followed, the patrons would task their employees and lobbyists to influence the process, much in the manner attempts are made to manage any public relations problem such as the content of a Wikipedia article.