Rapid change is a fact in today s world, and the question is how will governments be able to fit into, and react to, that online world. In the industrialized world, most governments operate on public administration precepts that were developed in the nineteenth century. This system of government has a built-in slowness, and inertia, in the way it operates. The reason for this is that the system of government was developed on the concept of hierarchy. In a hierarchal world there is a set chain of common and rigid infrastructure for decision-making.
Power flows from the top downwards.
In the online, networked world power flows in a non-linear direction, and this, in itself, changes the way in which people perceive the world. This change doesn t just give power into the hands of the individual, but creates an environment that allows people to adapt swiftly to changing events. This form of policy development or public consultation was based on an era when there was the luxury of time for the decision-making process, and the engaging of the public, through the academic world, experts, and public interest groups. For example, in pre-Internet eras, a department in Ottawa might develop a policy on trade and seek public engagement. To do this, an advertisement would have been placed in a newspaper or professional journal, in which the content of a paper would be described in general terms, and then opinions sought.