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Transcript of Reimagining Local Government slides
Reimagining the Civic Infrastructure of Local Government
Thursday, February 25th, 2016
Matt Leighninger
Engagement infrastructure…
…the laws, processes, institutions, and associations that support regular opportunities, activities, and arenas that allow people to connect with each other, solve problems, make decisions, and be part of a community.
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
How have citizens* changed?
● More educated● More skeptical –
different attitudes toward authority
● Have less time to spare
● Better able to find resources, allies, information (Internet)
* citizens = residents, people
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Three minutes at the microphone
● The status quo and default structure● No discussion outside the agenda● Oriented to getting comments in the
record● Easy to disrupt● Even the physical layout makes
people angry
THICK ENGAGEMENT: Informed, deliberative, emotional, full of choices for groups to make
THIN ENGAGEMENT: Fast, easy, full of choices for individuals to make
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Thick engagement: Small-group processes● No more than 12 people per group; ● Facilitator who is impartial (doesn’t give opinions);
● Start with people describing their experiences;
● Lay out options; ● Help people plan for
action.
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Thin + thick engagement:Sustaining community connections
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Treating citizens like adultsGive them:● Information● Chance to tell
their story● Choices● Legitimacy● Chances to take
action● Good process● Food and fun!
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Long-term Impacts of Sustained Participation Lower corruption Lower inequality Lower infant mortality Higher trust in gov’t Higher tax compliance Higher completion rates
for gov’t projects Officials more likely to
be reelectedWampler and Touchton 2014, Peixoto 2014, Spada 2012
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
“Portsmouth Listens” - Portsmouth, NH
● Ongoing process since 2000
● Several hundred participants each time
● Addressed a number of major policy decisions: bullying in schools, school redistricting, city’s master plan, balancing city budget, whether to build new middle school
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
JANE ADDAMS SCHOOL FOR DEMOCRACY WEST SIDE OF ST. PAUL, MN
● 50-200 people in “neighborhood learning circles” every month since 1998
● Involves recent Hmong, Latino, Somali immigrants● Young people involved in circles and other activities● Cultural exchanges - food, crafts, storytelling● Has resulted in new projects, initiatives, festivals, and
change in INS policy
“CREATE BUCKHANNON” BUCKHANNON, WV
Ongoing process since 2009 Weekly lunch, using open space process, called
“Meet and Eat” Have created a park, a weekly summer music
festival and market, a city plan, various downtown improvements and safe biking and walking routes
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
“THE TOWN THAT RUNS ON TWITTER” – JUN, SPAIN
Uses Twitter for all questions, requests, complaints, policy discussions
25% of town residents participate Twitter also being used for publicizing social and cultural events,
booking medical appointments, following youth sports teams
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Range of incentives Public employees
participate, interact with citizens on specific problems
Strong leadership by government
JUN, SPAIN – WHY DOES IT WORK?
Crowdsourcing and voting on policy proposals
Multichannel approach
360,000 votes cast for 3,600 proposals
Impact on health, other policies
“THE GOVERNMENT ASKS” – RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
Commitment from gov’t to adopt budget;
Wide range of ways to be involved; inclusive
Part of a robust civic infrastructure – preceded by PB – officials get re-elected
Critical mass of participants
“THE GOVERNMENT ASKS” – WHY DOES IT WORK?
Engagement Building Blocks
Disseminating Information
Gathering Input and Data
Enabling Small-Scale Decision
Making(individuals,
families, groups, neighborhoods)
Enabling Large-Scale
Decision Making
(communities, cities, regions)
Discussing and Connecting
Encouraging Public Work
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Practice: Better public meetings Stronger networks, online and off, for recruitment and
dissemination of information Better use of social media to raise interest, discussion
before and between meetings Clear avenues for public to present ideas for the
agenda At the meeting (or as a pre-meeting), a format
featuring small-group discussions Proposed guideline: Electeds cannot vote, act, or make
decisions until information from meeting is made public
The book:
bit.ly/PP21CD
Free resources (slide decks, skills module, readings) are
available under the “Downloads” heading at:
bit.ly/PP21CDresources
The skills module can be downloaded directly at:
bit.ly/PPskills
February 25th, 2016Reimagining Local Government
Connecting… [email protected] on Twitter: @mattleighninger,
@PublicAgenda on LinkedIn: Matt Leighninger www.publicagenda.org Facebook: PublicAgenda