National Civic League Releases Report "Bridging the Gap Between Citizens and Local Government with Information Technology: Concepts and Case Studies"

The National Civic League recently published a report titled "Bridging the Gap Between Citizens and Local Government with Information Technology: Concepts and Case Studies." The purpose of the report is to examine the impact of information technology on civic engagement and public deliberation and understand how such technology affects government, democracy and politics. The report provides communities and local governments with pertinent information on this timely issue, as well as offers examples of cities and organizations that have successfully used information technology to foster the citizen/government relationship.

The first part of the report looks at several types of information technology available to local government, communities, and community-based organizations including the Internet, global positioning systems, geographical information systems, handheld computers and digital cameras. The main purpose of this part of the report is to briefly describe the origin and/or history of these different types of technology, most specifically the Internet, and to familiarize the reader with the capabilities of information technology.

The second part of the report closely examines civic engagement and public deliberation - two fundamental components of positive citizen/government relationships. Civic engagement and public deliberation have long been critical problem-solving tools for use within the political process. Traditional forms of these concepts, however, are declining in today's society. Today's trend is for people to be less civically involved within their communities and government than people were fifty years ago. Voter participation is down. Fewer Americans volunteer for a political party, club or organization, or attend school or community meetings or political events. For many involved in nurturing civic engagement and public deliberation, these numbers and trends present real concerns. Ultimately, these trends result in a government that is out of touch with its citizens and make it difficult to maintain a positive citizen/government relationship.

"Bridging the Gap," however, maintains that information technology has provided new and innovative ways for citizens to be civically engaged in their communities and with their government. Specifically, "civic networking," also known as the process of using electronic communication and information to improve and enhance human communication and interaction in a community, is currently being used across the country to help strengthen relationships between communities and local government. Communities are using different types of information technology, such as listservs, bulletin boards, email and community chat rooms to communicate their wishes and concerns to local government. Take for example Portland, Oregon, where residents opposed to a development plan proposed by their local government used a listserv and email to develop a response. Ultimately, the plan was withdrawn.

The report also addresses the many local governments that have used information technology to create websites that better serve their constituents. These local government websites help foster relationships between local government and their constituents by improving the avenues of communication. Some of these websites are interactive; allowing citizens to voice their questions and/or concerns, or conduct activities such as renewing a license or paying a bill on-line. Several local governments even use their website to conduct live broadcasts of city council meetings.

The report acknowledges that despite the advances information technology has created in civic engagement and public deliberation, there are those that criticize it for encouraging isolation and aloofness in today's society. Its critics argue that activities such as tellepolling and interactive TV, made possible by information technology, allow a person to sit at home and express his/her preferences without having to participate in the local community or deliberate with the local government. Though these concerns have limited merit, research shows that overall, individuals who utilize information technology are also active in their communities. In addition, research shows that people who use the Internet may also use it to communicate and debate with their elected officials.

The third part of the report provides detailed case studies of cities and organizations that have successfully employed information technology as a tool to build government-constituent relationships, further illustrating the idea that information technology fosters relationships between constituents and government and helps to improve civic engagement and public deliberation. The report examines both programs initiated by local government and those initiated by not-for-profit organizations and distinguishes between programs that are non-facilitated (direct government-citizen interaction) and facilitated (where a third party, such as a not-for-profit organization, helps to communicate information from the citizen to the government). Specifically, the report looks at programs in Rochester, New York; Tacoma, Washington; New York, New York; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Hartford, Connecticut. The report also includes graphics and illustrations from the various case studies.

The report concludes by reaffirming the positive impact that information technology can and has had on civic engagement and public deliberation, and how it makes it easier for citizens to become active and engaged by collecting and disseminating information about their existing physical and social infrastructure. By facilitating the ability for governments to hear and respond to this information, citizens are enhancing their civic networks and thereby the strength and health of their communities.

The report was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation. "Bridging the Gap Between Citizens and Local Government with Information Technology: Concepts and Case Studies" is available for $7.00 and can be purchased through the NCL web store, by calling (303) 571-4343 or by fax at (303) 571-4404.

The National Civic League is a 109-year-old non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Award. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, call 303-571-4343.

Read the Introduction (PDF)