WeLEaD: collaborative toolkit for learning, engaging and deciding

Open Government is a new trend in public governance, based on the principles of transparency, collaboration and participation, currently being adopted by many countries around the world including 63 members of the Open Government Partnership. Operationalizing such principles requires developing certain capabilities among citizens and relevant government actors. For example, participation requires citizens to be informed and engaged, and achieving this requires government to build capabilities in using appropriate tools for informing and engaging. This poster paper outlines a research work in progress for developing an e-Participation toolkit called WeLEaD - Collaborative Toolkit for Learning, Engaging and Deciding. The toolkit will comprise an integrated set of advanced e-participation tools, based on the peer-production approach to collaborative teaching and learning: 1) to help citizens learn from each other about relevant issues on the public policy agenda; 2) to engage policy-makers, government executives, citizens and other non-state actors in informed discussions on how to advance this agenda; and 3) to reflect the outcomes of such discussions, including citizen views and opinions, in government's policy-making processes. The toolkit will also include technical and organizational guidelines for conducting e-Participation initiatives, including the use of such tools.