2: Empowerment

Identify systems that can be placed in the hands of individual users or groups of users and to help groups create resources they can control, develop and maintain.

Other Information:

We have spoken of access in terms of technology and information, but access without empowerment and inclusion is meaningless. One type of empowerment comes with the ability to take elements of the technology and build them into larger systems. This involves a transition from being a user of the technology to becoming a provider of services that use technology. Similarly, there is an important difference between using the network to access information and services and using the network (and other resources) to synthesize acquired information into knowledge that can be applied for effective action. To this end Info Ren seeks to identify systems that can be placed in the hands of individual users or groups of users and to help groups create resources they can control, develop and maintain. Other types of empowerment are heavily related to inclusion, as discussed below - being able to take part in policy discussions, and, importantly, having the information needed to take part as a more equal partner in a policy discussion. The Briefing Books we use as a part of online dialogues and the background material we advocate for rulemakings reflect this goal.

Stakeholder(s):

• General Public: Many of the efforts of Information Renaissance are meant to be broadly inclusive and to serve the public at large. This includes, in particular, our work on electronic governance, and facilitation of the public role in governmental policy-making.

Objective(s):

1

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