Open Government

Chapter 10. Two-Way Street: Government with the People

Mark Drapeau

During the 2008 elections in the United States, then-candidate Barack Obama’s campaign made excellent use of new media to not only raise an unprecedented amount of money, but also market him as the candidate that would bring change to the country. Inspired by this, citizens prominently used new media such as YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter to share their experiences during Obama’s inauguration week celebration in Washington, D.C. And after President Obama took office, his first orders of business were to reveal a modern White House website and to issue a memo^[137] directing the federal government to be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative (see the Appendix A).

But the wheels of government do not turn merely because the president gives an order—even when that order comes from a leader as popular as Obama. Disagreements between people in the executive and legislative branches over policy, strategy, and tactics can delay progress for months, if not years; not to mention outside pressure from think tanks, special interest groups, and super-empowered individuals. Engaging in spirited debate is the core of democracy, but it periodically feels like participating in a nationwide traffic jam.

Pockets of Excellence: The Goverati

An interesting byproduct of leaders encouraging government to be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative is that people are increasingly if inadvertently taking matters into their ...