14. ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling: Visionary Directions and Research Paths

The role of government in the society is undergoing continuous change, accelerated in the recent years due to the widespread adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The legitimacy of governments’ actions is increasingly put into question, and it is recognised that the emergence of new and complex problems requires governments to collaborate with non-governmental actors in addressing societal challenges, for example, related to climate change or the financial crisis, moving into a new era in which the provision of public services is oriented towards the creation of public value and user empowerment. In recent years, we have assisted to a flourishing of user-driven ICT tools addressing public service delivery and administrative processes. But yet, this domain is still very much unchartered, led by bottom-up initiatives, with little consolidation, with mostly small-scale experiments, at the margin of government’s initiatives. In this context, consensus is starting to build around the potential that collaborative technologies have in the field of governance and policy modelling. However, in order for effective citizen empowerment and participation to become mainstream at a greater scale, several challenges will have to be faced, which will require new tools to be developed. The major research questions that come to the forefront concern which new ICT-enabled governance models and methods of monitoring, interaction, collaboration for policymaking and enforcement are emerging and which are the appropriate policy-modelling mechanisms that will effectively re-engage citizens in the decision-making process.