Collabforge is proud to announce the publication of our article: Collaborating with the crowd for better policy development (Elliott, Sharp & Cooperrider) in the Australian journal InSight by the Centre for Policy Development.

This InSight, which has also doubled as a submission to the Taskforce, unpacks the ‘Government 2.0′ concept for the non-geeks out there, as well as featuring some hot new ideas for those who are already in the thick of it. Upgrading Democracy and unpacking Gov2.0 As the internet continues to make transparency and collaboration cheaper and easier, governments; government agencies and public servants are adopting tools that can make what they do more open and more participatory.

The Centre for Policy Development has released a new e-book looking at the idea of Upgrading Democracy: combining open access to government information with collaborative policy development to increase citizens’ influence over the decisions that affect their lives.

The ‘Government 2.0 Taskforce’ is currently putting together its advice on how to open up access to public sector information and use online tools to improve the conversation between government and citizens. Upgrading Democracy contains advice and ideas for the Government2.0 Taskforce from a diverse mix of academics and practitioners.

In his foreword Minister Lindsay Tanner describes the ambitious Gov2.0 reform agenda as ‘a way of thinking about how to make government smarter, cheaper, and more informed, responsive and engaged.’

With 16 articles and case studies ‘the essays here touch on pretty much every dimension of this venture.’ (Martin Stewart Weeks)

Read and comment online or download in pdf format from: http://cpd.org.au/2009/08/insight-edition-upgrading-democracy/