Information Technology Reference
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be active participants in shaping them. The International Agricultural Cen-
tre (IAC) explains that “ without the understanding, commitment and sup-
port of different stakeholder groups, experts and governments often find
themselves powerless to act. Further, the knowledge and experience of dif-
ferent groups must often be utilised to make good decisions and arrive at
workable strategies for change ” (International Agricultural Centre 2004).
Citizens are a central focus in this topic. Only by being well-informed
and engaged in civil society is it possible for them to exercise their rights,
fulfil their responsibilities, play their full role in the democratic process
(Steele 1998) - and influence the nature of the society in which they live.
In ancient Greece, citizenship was the privileged status of the ruling class
in the city-state, while in the modern democratic nation-state, citizenship
has been based primarily on the capacity to participate in the exercise of
political power through elections.
The defining characteristics of citizen engagement are conveyed well by
the following quote: “… there are many ways in which people participate
in civic, community and political life and, by doing so, express their engaged
citizenship. From volunteering to voting, from community organizing to
political advocacy, the defining characteristic of active civic engagement
is the commitment to participate and contribute to the improvement of
one's community, neighbourhood and nation ” (Philanthropy for Active
Civic Engagement n.d.). On this basis, the concept of citizenship can there-
fore be described simply as participation in a community. We have chosen
to use the term citizen in this broad and inclusive sense. This reflects our
view that, regardless of whether they are formally recognized as citizens or
have the right to vote, people who are impacted by technology should have
the right to participate in shaping those technologies. In the 21 st century the
capacity and opportunity to participate in the design of our digital futures
may become just as important as access to the ballot box.
Although the terms participation and engagement are sometimes used
interchangeably, there are real differences in some situations. In their us-
age there appears to be a common understanding that engagement is a
form of active participation. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD 2001) has published a three stage model of pub-
lic engagement:
1. information: a one-way relation in which government produces and
delivers information for use by citizens;
2. consultation: a two-way relation in which citizens provide feedback
to government;
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