Wikigovernment
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Wikigovernment is a model of government based on the open source and "wiki" concepts that have already been brought to the private sector, i.e. Wikipedia. The idea, at its most basic level, is bringing common citizens to the law, and allowing for a transparent law process and maximum public input using the latest technology. The pinnacle of this theory is allowing community members in any given jurisdiction direct access to its laws. Using wiki style editing, people can actually edit their demands into laws. This provides
- Lawmakers with access to the public's opinion
- Citizens easy access to the laws that govern them
- Accountability for lawmakers to the public
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[edit] History
[edit] First Public Implementation of Wikilaws
The first time this theory made it public, outside academia, was at Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts[citation needed]. The concept of Wikilaws arose as a potential solution to Community Council's, Hampshire College's community governance body, who had in the past struggled with keeping students interested and involved in Hampshire's governing process.
Hampshire College, although at its base is governed by the Hampshire College Constitution[1], day to day living is governed by Hampshire's student policy book, called Non Satis Non Scire, or NSNS.[2]
Starting in the Fall 2007 semester[citation needed], NSNS will be made available to the Hampshire Community in a Web 2.0 Wikipedia-style editable form. Students, staff and faculty will be able to log into a webpage and edit parts of NSNS that they think should be changed. The end result will be an edited NSNS that reflects how the community feels about the policies of the college, and provide a forum of discussion for proposed changes. This document will be provided to all of the governing bodies at Hampshire to make sure that the community's opinion is taken into account on every decision made. Currently, updates to NSNS are made by college staff in various offices which some students have criticized for a lack accountability and who in the past have rarely held discussions of proposed changes.
The goal of the project is that the open and purely democratic style of governance will provide a model for other colleges and universities. Possibly, this model could provide inspiration and foundation for governance bodies elsewhere, such as local municipalities.
