The "big three" values that government should strive for have long been productivity (or "efficiency" as the economists would call it), equity (or "fairness" as the kids in day care would call it), and legitimacy (or the degree to which the government is trusted to competently advance the public interest, not the personal interests of those who happen to be exercising it's power).

Legitimacy is fundamental and, of course, doesn't flow from technology alone. But it does requires transparency so principals (in this case the public) can hold their agents (in this case their government servants) accountable for properly carrying out their responsibilities.

If governments are too complex, too hidden, or too remote from scrutiny, history shows they all too often have swerved away from the public interest. The central idea of democracy -- imperfect as it is -- has been to create a stronger link between the public interest and governmental action. Votes are crude tools, but better than not having votes.

What's possible with the new technology is much more transparency and fine-tuned feedback. Can we use it to make democracy work better? There may be dangers, of course, in letting transparency squeeze out too much of the confidentiality and privacy needed to preserve diversity and personal freedom; but these concerns should not stand in the way of aggressive yet responsible exploration of the new possibilities.

My personal sense is that a next move in governments throughout the world -- possibly even THE move -- may be to extend beyond customer service (success with 'online not in line' -- which still has much room for improvement and extension) to civic engagement (where Web 2.0 approaches as used in the Obama campaign will move towards the real work of governing).

Several related links:

• The work of the transition technology teams, particularly their focus on engagement and innovation -- from our previous Harvard programs we particularly note the ideas here of Dan Chenok and Vivek Kundra.
• Yesterday's Executive Order on Open Government.

If we ARE extending beyond customer service to civic engagement, what are the primary options to consider and criteria for analysis and prioritization? Who out there is moving ahead on this front?

All the best,

Jerry

P.S. We will be working these issues at our April 14-16 event at Harvard. More here.