Why the public sector is failing to reinvent its own business model
In short: In an era of rapid technological evolution, government institutions remain largely static. While the private sector constantly disrupts itself, the public sector struggles to adopt the principles of openness and collaboration that define the modern digital age. We need a move toward a truly participatory democracy.
Beth Noveck, the first Deputy CTO of the United States, highlights a stark contrast between the current state of government and the era of the 'open house.' In the early 19th century, the White House was physically accessible to the public, such as when John Quincy Adams famously dismissed a high-ranking official to allow a local dentist to treat a visitor's tooth. By 2009, however, the institution had become closed off, characterized by security curtains and outdated technology like Windows 2000.
The challenge of creating an 'open-source' government is not just technical; it is cultural and systemic. Noveck notes that many officials initially viewed the idea of public participation as potentially illegal because there was no precedent for it. The current system is arguably out-of-date for a 'Cambrian age' of big data and social media. While private platforms like Facebook manage hundreds of millions of users with tiny teams, Noveck argues that privatized communities are not substitutes for government. They lack the capacity to do the 'hard work' of governance.
The goal is to create a 'writable society' where expertise is recognized as being widely distributed rather than confined to specific institutions. Instead of merely investing in innovation tools, the public sector must reinvent its underlying business model. This involves moving beyond mere transparency to active collaboration, where citizens can comment on laws before they are enacted and bureaucracies are connected to the people they serve.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Demand a more open-source government - Beth Noveck
- Also: Demand a more open-source government: Beth Noveck at TEDGlobal 2012 | TED Blog
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