The term Government 2.0 means many things to many people – how would you define it?

“The aim of Government 2.0 is to make government information more accessible and useable, to make government more consultative, participatory and transparent, to build a culture of online innovation, and to promote collaboration across agencies in online and information initiatives.” Towards Government 2.0: An issues paper, issued by the Government 2.0 Taskforce, 23 July 2009.

“Government 2.0 is the adoption of Web 2.0 social platforms and tools inside government to help improve citizen engagement and collaboration between government and citizens.” http://localgov2.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/how-would-you-define-government-20/, 22 August 2009

“Government 2.0 is not specifically about social networking or technology based approaches to anything. It represents a fundamental shift in the implementation of government – toward an open, collaborative, cooperative arrangement where there is (wherever possible) open consultation, open data, shared knowledge, mutual acknowledgment of expertise, mutual respect for shared values and an understanding of how to agree to disagree. Technology and social tools are an important part of this change but are essentially an enabler in this process.” http://groups.google.com.au/group/gov20canberra, 22 August 2009

“Authoritarian imposition of top-down policy has had its day. Citizens know more about their own communities than bureaucrats, and more about society than politicians. This age of ever-increasing connectivity obliges the Government to interact constructively with the community before and during policy development, rather than continuing the practice of dreaming policies up behind closed doors and only releasing them for public comment after the decision to implement them has already been made.” ( Mark Newton, New Matilda, 25 June 2009: http://newmatilda.com/2009/06/25/lessons-censorship-china-and-iran)

“I rather liked the [definition] a colleague of mine, Bill Gaylor (Public Sector Architect at Microsoft) spotted on GovLoop – Next Generation Government: Mobile, Measurable, Malleable

• Mobile: the idea that work is no longer a place, but a set of tasks that can be performed anywhere – whether that’s in a government-owned building in a major metropolitan center or a privately-owned family farm in the middle of Minnesota. In the private sector, this type of flexible work environment is already commonplace
• Measurable: But now you wonder: How will we know if anyone is really getting any work done in this brave, new, mobile environment? Well, I have a ready answer for you! We make sure that every aspect of our work is measurable. What better builds trust between manager and employee than a clear set of tasks with target dates and appropriate metrics? If I know what needs to get done and by when, why does the how and where matter?
• Malleable: Finally, when I heard words like inclusive, responsive, open, efficient, transparent, and innovative, I needed another “m” word…and malleable came to mind. Dictionary.com tells us this word means “capable of being shaped or formed; able to adjust to changing circumstances; adaptable.” As collaborative technologies make our democracy even more participatory, enabling citizens to become more actively engaged in decision-making processes through projects like the Open Government Initiative or the Recovery Dialogue on IT Solutions“

http://blogs.msdn.com/james_brown/archive/2009/06/23/do-we-have-to-define-gov-2-0.aspx, 22 August 2009

See also Kate Lundy’s three pillars of Open Government: Citizen-centric services; Open and transparent government; and Innovation facilitation  http://www.katelundy.com.au/2009/06/20/three-pillars-of-open-government