IREKIA, the first step

The evolution of the Gobernanza, like formula of good government, and of the proper Public administration towards more open, transparent models and participativos is a process of long term, while he supposes a political and organizational transformation of big openwork impossible to carry out overnight. The new web of participation of the Basque Government IREKIA has value as he supposes the first step in this long way. And that the time will say it.

At the moment, there has been evident a clear leadership and a will decided about this sense. It is not small. With IREKIA the first step has happened.

Congratulations to all the persons who have worked so that today we could be speaking about IREKIA. Zorionak! Now it begins for them the hour of the truth. I wish them the whole wise move and a lot of luck, so that the cause of the transparence, the participation and the collaboration advances and is consolidated between us. And, of course, we are at his disposal for what we could reach port.

In this post I reflect aloud concerning the questions that IREKIA suggests me, always from my personal and subjective point of view.

On the IREKIA novel thing

It is true that IREKIA has not invented the civil participation. Advisory participation organs exist and there are public information steps in the administrative procedures. And there is minted the civil participation in the municipal ambience. Neither IREKIA has invented the participation across Internet. There has been and there are still other initiatives of on line participation like Konpondu or Part Hartu. The IREKIA novel thing is for me his vocation of integrating the transparence and the participation in practice daily of the action of government. At the moment, the legislative calendar has become public for this term and he has announced to himself, also, the publication of the plans and significant performances foreseen in the horizon of the term. The video of presentation of IREKIA expresses a clear commitment:“ the proposals, intentions, laws, measurements and plans go to exhibit to the citizenship before his approval ”. And he adds that“ the citizenship is going to be able to take part in his making ”. If this commitment went so far as to be fulfilled of systematical form IREKIA it would not be an only one novel experience, but it would turn into a world modality. I would be content that in this term will begin to fulfill, at least partially, this commitment. Because the thing is not simple. In addition to the will to do it, it is necessary to develop the model of management of the participation and to provide the necessary resources to carry out this management. And, once again, I remember that this supposes a political and organizational transformation of big openwork. But it is true that way is done to the gait. Every step that happens, and IREKIA has been the first one, it will bring us over and will claim the following step.

On the integral approach of the participation

The participation does not come down to the comments in Internet, not to the active listening in the social networks, but it takes place across multiple channels. Earlier he was quoting the instruments of participation of the traditional Administration, which are still current and are named to coexist with the new virtual participation channels. It is necessary to think the participation with an integral approach. Of course, every governmental or administrative process will have to bear in mind the perspective of the participation, incorporating the mechanisms of participation most adapted in every moment of the process. IREKIA can be a powerful participation channel, but the political persons in charge and technical staff of the Administration must learn to use this new channel of effective form, so that the civil participation does not turn into an added load difficult to manage. And we return to the model of management that he was quoting earlier. The challenge is so immense as exciting.

Speaking about integral approach of the participation, the target of the Government should not limit to facilitating the channels, but active politics should be carried out to promote the participation. I am thinking about actions of very diverse nature: from the education (in which we deposit so much hopes in exchange for so little) up to the associative world (like significant part of the organized citizenship), happening for the model management of the received contributions. I usually say that it is not enough to allow the participation, it is necessary to deserve it. And a factor key to deserve it is to manage the participation of model form.

On fond how IREKIA to the powers division

One of the clearest questions in this topic is that of how they affect the channels of direct participation to the model of division of powers. Obviating that this model does not spend in his best times, question that would exceed the scope of this humble post, it is possible to affirm without fear of being wrong that at the moment the powers division can be still calm, at least as for the channels of direct participation that now appear. They are not giant, but mills.

Every institution has a few definite functions. Grosso way, the Government designs and executes the public politics and the Parliament legislates and controls the action of government. Every institution opens channels of participation in the ambience of his competitions, but these competitions do not turn out to be altered by the fact that the respective institutions execute them of form participativa. Namely when the Government designs a public form politics participativa it is not affecting for anything to any other institution. Moreover, with participation or without her, the Government keeps on being the same way responsible for his acts. And the same happens in the legislative ambience. That the parliamentarians bear in mind the contributions carried out by the citizenship, for example, across Part Hartu he does not interfere the functions and competitions of any institution, and they keep on taking the same political responsibility as his decisions. Finally, the direct participation of the citizenship, at least in such a way that now it appears, he does not suppose any alteration of the current political model. In any case, what appears is, nothing more and neither more nor less, a way of more democratic functioning and more according to the times.

These clarifications can look like a truism, but it has seemed opportune to me to raise them because the topic was caused in a meeting of blogueros and it has been repeated now in the comments published in Internet on IREKIA.

On the internal participation

The internal participation is not the IREKIA topic, but it is a good topic. Andrea di Maio threw it in absence in the declaration opened on and-Government presented in the ministerial Malmö summit and he has turned to begin in absence now in the blogs. Of course, this is not what it touches in these reflections on IREKIA, but it is a hanging subject that also it would be necessary to tackle in this term. And since it does not touch here and now, I do not spread any more on the topic.

On the material elements of the tool

This is the point most capable of short-term progress. I say it, simply, because it is easier to do modifications in the tool than to extend his massive use on the part of the Administration or to construct a round and finished model of management of the participation.

Personally, I believe that what more it confuses is the transition between the environment of IREKIA and that of the Basque Community of Innovators (CVI). It looks like to me a good idea to have used an already existing instrument, as it is the CVI, instead of having developed a proper tool to do the same. And, also, this way the public debates take before a persons' community that can collaborate so much in the questions raised from the Basque Government, as in those who could raise other public or private institutions, sharing critical mass and making use of synergies. Nevertheless, it is necessary to improve something in the transition between both environments.

I still have tangled little as to spread in this point and, also, I am sure that from the blogosfera and the social networks numerous progress suggestions are going to come on these aspects.

In short, what seems more outstanding to me is, on one hand, the leadership and the commitment expressed with the starting of IREKIA and, on the other hand, the fact of initiating an experience that is going to allow to advance in the targets of the transparence and the participation. IREKIA is the first necessary step of a long way.

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