govcamp vienna

(Un-)Konferenz in neunter Auflage

Die “Unkonferenz” govcamp vienna blickt auf eine Geschichte zurück, in der sich zwar das Motto laufend geändert hat, die grundlegende Ausrichtung im Themenbereich Digitalisierung und Verwaltung und der Stil eines Barcamps jedoch die Jahre hindurch erhalten geblieben sind. Mit einer Konferenz hat ein Barcamp gemeinsam, dass aktuelle Forschung diskutiert werden, neue Projekte angebahnt werden können und man sich im Vorfeld registriert . Anders als bei einer Konferenz kann man zwar, aber man muss das Thema, dem man seinen Vortrag widmen möchte, nicht im Vorhinein bekannt geben. Das Programm entsteht aus den Vorschlägen der TeilnehmerInnen am Tag der Veranstaltung „live“ (und sieht dann mitunter so aus). Durch die gemeinsame Festlegung des Sessionplans soll sichergestellt werden, dass genau jenen Themen eine Plattform gegeben wird, die den TeilnehmerInnen wichtig sind. Anders als bei vielen Konferenzen ist die Teilnahme kostenlos.

Motto 2018: Automatisch, praktisch, menschlich – Zusammenarbeit für die Zukunft

Am 30.11.2018 ab 9:00 Uhr in der Stadlauer Straße 56 in Wien (Stadt Wien, MA 01) werden sich Akteure aus Verwaltung, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft über Digitalisierungsthemen austauschen, die sie beschäftigen.

Getreu dem Motto „Automatisch, praktisch, menschlich – Zusammenarbeit für die Zukunft“, soll das Aufstreben künstlicher Intelligenz genauso zum Diskussionspunkt gemacht werden wie andere Bereiche der Digitalisierung. Erfahrungsgemäß gehören zu den behandelten Themen solche aus den Themenfeldern E-Government, Datenschutz und –sicherheit sowie Smart City und Lebensqualität. Das govcamp vienna ist offen für kurze Vorträge oder Workshops, aus denen sich Diskussionen ergeben, die im weiteren Sinn mit Digitalisierung und öffentlicher Verwaltung zusammenhängen.

Wie wird sich Zusammenarbeit zukünftig gestalten, wird man den Kollegen Roboter begrüßen? Wie managt man halb virtuelle, halb physische Teams? Die Interaktion Mensch – Maschine wird immer mehr zum Thema. Wie kann Partizipation mittels sicherer Lösungen (wie Blockchain) aussehen, die ortsunabhängig stattfinden kann? Schaffen wir dadurch mehr Teilhabe für alle und eine gerechtere Gesellschaft? Spielt uns die Automatisierung frei für die wirklich wichtigen Dinge?

Zum Austausch über diese und viele andere Fragen sind alle Interessierten und Aktiven aus der Zivilgesellschaft, VertreterInnen aus Verwaltung, Politik, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft eingeladen, aktiv an den Sessions mitzuwirken und sich in den Zeiten zwischen den Sessions zu vernetzen.

Eine Disziplin ist oft nicht genug: Perspektivenwechsel

Rechnen Sie mit temporären Verständigungsschwierigkeiten, neuen Einblicken und anderen Blickwinkeln. Stellen Sie sich darauf ein, dass Ihre Argumente auf den Kopf gestellt werden und bereiten Sie sich darauf vor, dass Sie neue Kontakte knüpfen werden. Open Government, offene Daten, Beteiligung im Rechtsetzungsprozess, Verbesserung der Datenqualität und WienBot sind nur einige der Themen der govcamps der letzten Jahre. So wird aus technischem, rechtlichem und organisatorischem Blickwinkel oder ganz einfach praxisnah diskutiert, woran es Ihrer Meinung nach hakt oder was erforderlich ist, damit die Digitalisierung der Gesellschaft dient. Fragen aus laufenden Forschungsprojekten können genauso Thema sein wie praktische Erfahrungen von Entwicklern bei der Nutzung von Daten der öffentlichen Hand. Wie kann der Einsatz von Technologie die Lebensqualität erhöhen? Was ist dabei zu beachten? Kennen Sie Best Practices, die als Vorbilder fungieren könnten?

Machen Sie sich in einem unserer Rückblicke auf vergangene govcamps ein eigenes Bild von der Veranstaltungsreihe:

• Dokumentierte Highlights 2017
• Dokumentierte Highlights 2016
• Dokumentierte Highlights 2015

Das Wichtigste kurz zusammengefasst

Was? Wann? Wo?

govcamp vienna: Akteure aus Verwaltung, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft debattieren über Digitalisierungsthemen, die sie beschäftigen.

30.11., 9:00 Uhr

Stadt Wien, MA 01 – Wien Digital, Stadlauer Straße 56, Wien

Was muss ich tun um teilzunehmen?

Bitte registrieren Sie sich hier   und geben Sie – wenn Sie mögen – gleich bekannt, was Sie bewegt und worüber Sie sich mit anderen ganz besonders austauschen möchten.

Näheres und Updates werden auch via Twitter oder Facebook ausgesandt.

CeDEM is now EGOV-CeDEM-ePart – some impressions

I participated in the colloquium of CeDEM 18 (now: EGOV-CeDEM-ePart), and wanted to briefly note down some impressions.

Small conferences FTW 🙂

It seems like EGOV-CeDEM-ePart has now become a small community of people interested in researching “e-topics” – attended by researchers and practitioneers. It is often hard to get beyond your own thematic track at bigger international conferences – at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart I always find this easy, but can still connect to scholars and experts from all around the globe. This year there were also 4 (!) social events, which were attended by many participants, particularly the boat conference dinner (which was often discussed, but still a first time experience).

From thoughts to reality

In general, it seems like when researching e-society, e-democracy and e-governance related domain,s we have entered a phase where we are not looking at the dangers and hurdles of potential innovations or developments anymore: we look at them from the perspective of their implementation. In other words: Ideas discussed at some previous conferences have turned into practise. I particularly liked the workshops where the “how” of such new realities was discussed, for instance the one about the Open Data Market Austria.

EaP eDemocracy Conference 23 October 2018 “Politics in the Digital Age”

22-23 October 2018, Danube University Krems, Austria

The Danube University Krems, Department for E-Governance, and the Tallinn University of Technology, Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, will be hosting the EU’s Eastern Partnership eDemocracy Conference on ‘Politics in the Digital Age’ under the auspices of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The conference will be an opportunity to discuss amongst experts from academia, governments and civil society from the EU’s member states and in particular the EU’s Eastern partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine -, as well as international organisations opportunities and challenges of eDemocracy. How can eDemocracy enhance participation, inclusion, transparency and accountability?

With good governance a top priority of the EU in the EaP region, eDemocracy is an important part of today’s and tomorrow’s governance, dealt within Platform 1 of the EaP on ‘Strengthening institutions and good governance”, and was identified at the EaP SOM of 12 March 2018 as a priority theme of the EaP.

Good Governance represents a government approach committed to system founded in justice and peace that protects and ensures human rights and civil liberties. The United Nations describes good governance as characterized by participation, consensus, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, equitability, inclusion and following the rule of law. It is responsive to (present and future) needs of society. This conference focuses three dimensions of good governance: participation through political communication in the digital sphere, transparency and stakeholder inclusion. These topics will be discussed in depth, critically assessing the present status and addressing future challenges.

The conference includes 3 panels, each will be preceded by a keynote that will then join the panel. Each panel is followed by an Q&A session that will allow participants to ask panelists and keynotes further questions.

Programme

 

22 October 2018

19.30: Welcome reception

“Salzstadl”
Donaulände 32, 3500 Krems

 

23 October 2018

8.30: Registration

Audi Max, Danube University Krems

9.00: Official opening

Friedrich Faulhammer, Rector of the Danube University Krems

Thomas Buchsbaum, Special Envoy on Eastern Partnership & Representative of the Austrian EU Presidency

Christian Rupp, Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Platform Digital Austria

Robert Krimmer, TalTech, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

 

Moderator:

Noella Edelmann, Danube University Krems (Austria)

 

10.30: Break

 

11.00: Panel 1: Political Communication in the Digital Sphere

Media manipulation, influence on third countries, populism on platforms, campaigning
How is digital public communication overturning the traditional hierarchical model in favour of popular and participatory communication? Is it suitable for horizontal, unmediated exchanges between politicians and citizens, and does it promote and offer a flattened communication structure in contrast to the top–down structure of the traditional legacy media – the kind of interactive communication often praised in populist rhetoric. What are the profound changes? Has there really been a change away from a top–down approach to public communication? Does it really promote dialogue, reach out to the public, or does it represent yet another platform to shape news agenda and public conversation or to lash out at critics, and get media attention? What is the role played by mass media in political participation, how does it impact the relationship between public and established power? How does it disseminate opinion, how does it influence the formation, expression and consumption of public opinion, and do we now have a public sphere where citizens can debate issues in a democratic forum with those in power?

Keynote: Rasto Kuzel MEMO98 (Slovakia)

“How has the role of mass media in political communication changed in recent years and

what implications do these changes have on democratic institutions?”

Panellists:

Meri Davtyan, Mission Armenia NGO (Armenia)

Mikheil Mirziashvili, Centre for Democracy Development (Georgia)

Øystein Sæbø, University of Agder (Norway)

Lucia Aprodu, Institute for Strategic Initiatives Communications and Digital Transformation (Moldova)

Moderator:

Robert Krimmer, TalTech, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

 

12.30: Lunch

 

14.00: Panel 2: Digital Transparency for Accountability

The accountability of elected governments and the public administration serves as a fundamental principle of democratic societies. The emergence and proliferation of digital tools and the digital transformation of organizations has led to several initiatives, reforms and new principles, such as open data and open governance (e.g. the Open Government Partnership). Does digital technology, digital culture and the possibilities they offer really transform societies and their governments, and lead to better services, increased transparency and accountability? What are the benefits of digital tools and digitalization (cloud services, social media, wikis, open data, big data, data analytics, open‐by‐default initiatives, digital platforms and portals, collaboration and co‐production, etc.), what are the dangers and the lessons learned so far?

Keynote: Alexander Trechsel

University of Lucerne (Switzerland)

Panellists:

Aleksand Dudchenko, Kyiv City Council (Ukraine)

Levan Avalishvili, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (Georgia)

Maarja Toots, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

Alexey Kozliu, Human Constanta (Belarus)

Moderator:

Jacopo Leone, ODIHR/OSCE (Poland)

 

15.30: Break

 

16.00: Panel 3: Inclusion: Stakeholder Involvement in the Political Sphere

Deliberative democracy aims to expand meaningful public participation in political decision-making. Involvement and engagement are complex. What are the practical implications for the design of legitimate and effective involvement? Who are the different stakeholders, what roles do they have in the processes and how can they be encouraged to participate? How are political, administrative and judicial decision-making processes connected to parliament, government, civil society, and what role do digital tools play therein? How can digital tools, processes and services increase the involvement of stakeholders? Is reaching a high number of participants the most important aim, or are there are other important goals to be reached, too?

Keynote:  Elke Loeffler

Governance International, UK & Institute of Local Government, University of Birmingham (UK)

“Improving public value through citizen voice and action”

Panellists:

Anna Melenchuk, Institute of Innovative Governance (Ukraine)

Harutyun Azgaldyan, Ministry of Education and Science (Armenia)

Rashad Shirinov, OSCE/ODIHR expert (Azerbaijan) and Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands)

Andrei Rusu, Information Society Development Institute (Moldova)

Lejla Turcilo, University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Moderator:

Jelizaveta Krenjova, eGovernance Academy (Estonia)

 

17.30: Summary & Closing

Thomas Buchsbaum, Special Envoy on Eastern Partnership & Representative of the Austrian EU Presidency

Robert Krimmer, TalTech, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

Peter Parycek, Danube University Krems (Austria)

 

19.30: Farewell Dinner

“Restaurant Blauenstein im Haus der Regionen”
Donaulände 56, 3500 Krems

 

Conference languages

English and Russian, simultaneous translation will be provided.

Related Reports

eDemocracy and the Eastern Partnership Summit Declaration 2017

Draft Non-Paper on Supporting the Development of e-Democracy in the EU’s Eastern Partner Countries, by Dr Kristina Reinsalu and Dr Jelizaveta Krenjova-Cepilova, initiated and funded by the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership, (Version September 2018)  eDem_non-paper_Sept_2018

Conference Location

“Audi Max” of the Danube University Krems

Airport Taxi

If you need a taxi transfer from or to Vienna Airport, please contact airporttransfer2000@gmail.com and transmit your arrival/departure date, time & flight numbers. The basic rate for one route is EUR 78,- (4 pax)  and will be split up among persons/car.

Registration and further Information about the Conference

You can registere here for the event: https://www.eap-events.eu/edemocracy.

All further administrative information regarding registration, please contact olha.mostova@cecoforma.com

You can also find current information on the conference at the respective page of the website of the Austrian EU Presidency.

If you need further information, please contact contact noella.edelmann@donau-uni.ac.at

Conference Organizers

• Department for E-Governance, Danube University Krems
• Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, TalTech, Tallinn University of Technology

Conference Partners

• OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
• Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership (ECEAP)

Conference Committee

• Jaan Reinhold (Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership, Tallinn)
• Bernhard Knoll (CEU Democratisation, Budapest)
• Marcin Walecki (ODIHR Warsaw)

This event is co-organised by:

In partnership with:

EPU-Workshop Technology Revolution, Public Administration and Participation: Guangzhou (China)

From 21-23 July 2018 the workshop Technology Revolution and Public Administration took place in Guagzhou, China. This workshop was sponsored by a grant from the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet (EPU). Researchers from the Centre for E-Governance at Danube University Krems and the Department of Media and Communication at City University Hong Kong took part. It was hosted by the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou.

Participants of the EPU Meeting in the afternoon

The first session addressed aspects of governmental innovation, e-governance and digital and mobile governance. A particular emphasis was on governmental hotlines and artificial intelligence as well as accessibility of hotlines, f.i. through the usage of languages (50 different languages can be selected in New York, for instance). Examples from New York also included open data contests (Big Apps 3.0) and open data principles. It is interesting that Big Data was called a “tiger flying” – hinting at the different techno-positive metaphors of datafication that seem to be found for this phenomenon around the world. The governmental hotline in Guangzhou is called 12345 and a few presentations were held around this topic.

The second session of the workshop addressed aspects of political participation, civic engagement and social media in a global and Asian context. The following presentations were held:

CeDEM Asia 2018, Yokahoma (Japan): Keynote Speakers

Following eleven successful conferences in Austria and three inspiring conferences in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, we are looking forward to continuing the forum in Asia for exchange of ideas, networking, and collaboration. We are very pleased to announce the following keynote speakers and would like to highlight their talks.

Keynotes:

Shanto Iyengar (Stanford University):

Intense Partisanship: Implications for Electoral Accountability

 

Francis Lee, Chinese University of Hong Kong:

Creating Polarization as a Political Strategy in an Authoritarian Context

Mario Voigt, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin:

Winning at all Cost: The Future of Democratic Elections