PUBLICNESS, TECHNOLOGY AND DEMOCRATIC INNOVATIONS: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

As a result of limited resources, increased corruption accusations, widespread austerity and democratic crises sub-national and national governments have been pushed to find new, often technology-fueled and more participatory approaches to governance. Over the last decade, governments across the world have launched an increasing number of all sorts of e-government initiatives which hold the promise of enhancing transparency and participation, and thus reducing corruption as well as other innovative forms of citizen participation including citizen’s juries, hackathons, living labs and participatory budgeting. Not only new technologies have been used to facilitate the reporting of corruption and give access to official information, but also to keep different entities more accountable thanks to the transparency and participation of different stakeholders, citizens and beyond, in various decision-making processes that they would otherwise be excluded from. However, literature argues that despite significant developments in the field, people-oriented dimension of publicness is still missing from various city imaginaries. Responding to the critique that policies implemented by cities almost exclusively refer to technological improvements and provision of technological solutions, policymakers and researchers are now shifting towards the magnitude of involvement of citizens in devising city imaginaries and decision-making. Prioritization of people in smart city development and the subsequent construction varies modalities of techno-public assemblages is believed to be the missing element in governance. Study is set within qualitative paradigm within framework of constructivism, which rejects that the reality must be investigated through scientific enquiry. Study uses case study methodology which makes allowances for application of various data collection methods and subsequently a comparative case study multi-stage research design composed of document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders is adopted. While technology is a vital enabler in the undergoing transformation, it only composes one element of governance, leaving a playing field for public authorities to encourage citizens to engage in new processes and practices. Thus, the resulting paper focuses on how citizens input into the governance processes in novel ways. In particular, the proposed project deepens the understanding of the participatory publicness in public smart governance and decision making, understand the innovative processes through it occurs and how participatory governance alters traditional governing. The paper explores various innovative ways that operate within cities where citizens are included in creating solutions to current policy challenges. Participation of citizens in decision-making processes and co-creating space has led to adoption of various innovative practices including participatory budgeting (Krakow, Poland), living labs (Bologna, Italy), WeMakeTheCity Festival (Amsterdam) and Osallistumispeli (which translates to ‘Participation Game’; Helsinki, Finland). It unfolds the characteristics of the mechanisms that each of the cities use in relation to the publicness and investigates the changing dynamics of interaction between citizens local governors through the analysis and establishes the main characteristics of the ecosystems enable publicness and participatory innovation.