A notch above: blueprint of people's aspirations

Framing of problem  So far, the decisions makers have been taking the decisions. They have thought about what policies and projects should be created and have implemented them. The citizens did not really have the opportunity to collaborate (except perhaps for voting for the policy makers). Do these ideas and directions correspond to people’s deep aspirations and vision of the future of society?

In “Unlocking government: How data transforms democracy”, Deloitte predicted that governments will need to approach data analytics as a new core competency. “Organizational competencies, cultural norms and management processes all need to be rethought if the power of the analytics is to be exploited.”

The experimental Edgeryders project demonstrates that it is possible to probe into the population’s mind by collaborating with a group of self-selected citizens.

Value proposition / Short definition   The data from the Edgeryders project can be used to make further analysis, and help identify issues with missing parameters, for which further collaboration with citizens and various experts (scientists, specialists) could take place.

Features    Edgeryders data continuity. Building on the foundations of what Edgeryders has accomplished, and its results, to continue the work of listening and understanding the issues and aspirations of the population.

For whom    For all States and citizens.

Value for citizens   By helping to define the blueprint of the population’s aspirations, citizens can continue to define their own visions and continue to seek solutions for lasting change. Support government institutions and local governments in their analytical work and collaborate with them to tie-down ideas into concrete projects, policies and reforms.

Value for governance   A notch above the initial Edgeryders findings analysis. Further making sense of what was said by citizens and translating this into actions and public policy.

Why is it different  Never really been done before, since no open government project based on this amount of collaboration has reached such a high level of in-depth thinking and analysis achieved by Edgeryders. It is up to the Council of Europe to be aware of this breakthrough situation, and continue to innovate.