Re: [GKD] Information Revolution's Impact on Democracy

[Ronald Kim]

 > Does the WB *really* want participation? Or, were they worried about
 > television cameras and street scenes in Spain? How can we put a
 > little pressure on the WB to open up ALL conferences to wide net
 > access?

is Ron Kim and I organize online discussions in the World Bank's
Development Forum . For nearly three
years, my colleagues and I have worked with WB units and external sponsors
(including the Panos Institute, Transparency International, USAID, WTO,
and the Bretton Woods Project, to name a few) to host about 60 global,
public e-discussions on development topics as diverse as anti-corruption,
poverty, trade, gender, and globalization.  Participation has been very
high with thousands of subscribers and messages contributed from nearly
every country in the world. These discussions have been open and frank,
and have included countless contributions critical of the World Bank and
other global institutions.  I invite you to look in detail at any of our
previous or ongoing discussions.

While I would be the first to admit that not all our e-discussions have
been unequivocal successes, many have provided substantive feedback on
specific draft documents and policies, particularly from our clients in
developing countries; served as a forum for exchanging case studies and
lessons learned; provided an occasional "reality" check to some WB staff;
and, in certain cases, have had an actual impact on a document or policy.
And the mere fact that such exercises have become accepted as a tool of
inviting external feedback says something about how the WB has changed.

Whether or not the WB should open up all its conferences to the public is
a different matter.  If nothing else, I have learned that it is easy to
conduct e-consultations poorly since they require a lot of planning, time,
and maintenance.  We have learned extensively over the years from the GKD
list, one of the best examples of a well-run, content-driven discussion,
but it requires, as you know, a lot of resources to operate and maintain.
It is also important to note that this type of online exercise is often
only one tool used for consultation and knowledge sharing.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about the
Development Forum.

Best wishes,

Ronald Kim
Knowledge Management Officer
The World Bank
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]





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Re: [GKD] Information Revolution's Impact on Democracy

[John Hibbs]

One would have thought that ANY World Bank physical conference, would
be available virtually.

Having hosted a few dozen world-wide (virtual) conferences, it
disappoints me that the World Bank feels the necessity of using
video, especially given the both bandwidth restrictions and that a
"talking head" does not contribute much to the quality of the content
delivered.

In addition to using common webcasting tools and Net telephony, I
would have thought that the Bank would open a telephone room (as we
do) where those who were willing to pay the long distance charges (or
make Net to phone calls) could listen over an ordinary phone
connection...even have some comments with the Big Wheel?

I would also think the Bank would have had text chat rooms which
anyone with a Java browser could visit and interact with the major
speakers, moderated, or unmoderated, WB choice. And, while at it, why
not a bulletin board where all the presenters post their stuff and
the audience is invited to make threaded discussions/comments about
the presentation?

Heck, we do ALL of these things for Global Learn Day; and we do it
with an all volunteer crew for pennies.

Does the WB *really* want participation? Or, were they worried about
television cameras and street scenes in Spain? How can we put a
little pressure on the WB to open up ALL conferences to wide net
access?

John Hibbs
www.bfranklin.edu/gld5


At 10:55 AM -0400 06/25/01, Sam Lanfranco wrote:
 >One interesting test of the impact of IT on democracy is the current
 >decision of the World Bank to cancel its Barcelona meetings which were
 >set for next week, and instead hold a closed video-conference. The
 >driver behind this was the potential for disruptive protests at
 >Barcelona, of the sort that have followed other high level global
 >meetings in recent times.
 >
 >The World Bank has argued that the teleconference will extend access, by
 >allowing participation of people who could not attend the physical
 >meeting.
 >
 >




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Re: [GKD] Information Revolution's Impact on Democracy

[Sam Lanfranco]

One interesting test of the impact of IT on democracy is the current
decision of the World Bank to cancel its Barcalona meetings which were
set for next week, and instead hold a closed video-conference. The
driver behind this was the potential for disruptive protests at
Barcalona, of the sort that have followed other high level global
meetings in recent times.

The World Bank has argued that the teleconference will extend access, by
allowing participation of people who could not attend the physical
meeting.

At the level of "optics" this is a blending of "the glass is half empty
or the glass is half full". In 10 days the teleconference will have been
over and many of us would like to see an analysis of whether this has
contributed to democracy (through participation, transparency,
accountability, or whatever) and how.

We are lead to ask, what are the plans - designed in advance of the
teleconference - to test the assertion of "greater participation" from
the evidence of the conference?



Sam Lanfranco
Chair
School of Analytic Studies and Information Technology
York University, CANADA



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[GKD] Information Revolution's Impact on Democracy

[Selendy Bela]

Announcement: Democracy Forum To Assess
Information Revolution's Impact on Democracy

What are the implications of the information technology revolution for
democracy and its core values? Will it, as some fear, heighten existing
divisions of power and access within and between countries or will it
serve as a powerful tool for reducing those inequalities? And what are
the opportunities, values and threats of rapid information flow and
access for democratic governance?

These and a range of other key issues raised by the IT revolution will
be in focus at the International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001 to be held in
Stockholm 27-29 June, under the title of 'Democracy and the Information
Revolution: Opportunities, Values and Threats'
(http://www.idea.int/frontpage_forum2001.htm). More than 250 IT
specialists and business leaders, election managers, policy makers,
development experts and politicians from around the world will gather in
Stockholm to participate in the discussions.

Outcomes of the Democracy Forum will include a set of policy
recommendations on the use of information and communication technologies
(ICTs) to promote democracy. These will be presented to the forthcoming
World Economic Forum meeting in Salzburg (1-3 July) and G8 summit in
Genoa (15-22 July), in connection with a DOT Force - the G-8 Digital
Opportunity Task Force - Report on digital opportunities.

The Forum will consist of plenary sessions and a series of five parallel
workshops. The workshop themes are:

*   How Governments and Parliaments are Using Information and
Communication Technology
*   Political Expression in the ICT Age - The Role of Political Parties.
*   Introducing Technology to Elections: A Sustainable Approach
*   Local Democracy Online
*   Opening up Authoritarian States

Online discussion forums dedicated to each of these themes, and in which
all visitors to the site are welcome to take part, are now running at
http://www.idea.int.

A complete press release on the Forum is available here:
http://www.idea.int/press/pr20010614.htm

Relevant sites are encouraged to place links to Democracy Forum 2001.
Banners and linking information are available on the International IDEA
website: http://www.idea.int/link_to_idea.htm

Please feel free to pass this message on to your colleagues.

___
Bela P. Selendy
Webmaster, International IDEA
Stromsborg, 10334 Stockholm Sweden
Tel: 46 8 6983700, Fax: 46 8 202422
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: http://www.idea.int



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