Web 2.0 creates a new government

Abstract

Innovating Government is high on the agenda and has been proven as successful by using Web 2.0. This label includes a new wave of web-based applications that rely on the concept of the user as a producer. Web 2.0 provides means to create a better Government. As first point, improvements are regarded that are based on providing feedback to agencies. Examples include service ratings, law enforcement and budget allocations. A next type of improvements concerns citizen participation in order to reconnect citizens with politics and policy making as to improve responsiveness. For this aim social media are great in sustaining all kind of civic society activities. Prominent examples include campaigning, petitioning, monitoring and urban planning. Another way is agency staff persons using the Web 2.0 for cross-agency collaboration. Collaboration at large leads to good practice exchange and knowledge management. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.