Five ideas for better electronic government from MySociety.org

Tom Steinberg, Sunlight friend and director of the UK’s MySociety.org, has some advice for anyone thinking of running any reasonably technologically savvy country. He lists the top five actions any country’s government should take in relation to use of the Internet. 1. Hire people who understand the Internet and the potential it has for government. And then fund a university to teach more people to understand the potential. 2. Open up non-personal government data and introduce a “presumption of innovation.” 3. Give external parties the right to interface electronically with any government or mainly public system unless it can be shown to create substantial, irrevocable harm. 4. Set up a system capable of a nationwide deliberation process on policy issues where decisions are pending, and legislate it into the democratic process like elections and referendums. 5. Give people using the state’s electronic systems on any task the option to collaborate with other citizens going through the same process.

Thought-provoking ideas as usual. More details in his post.