These three ideas came together in 2012 through what became known as pirate party politics. Iceland had faced a financial crisis and growing concerns about corruption. In response, a group of citizens and digital activists created a new political party. Its focus was transparency, open discussion, and greater public participation through technology.
The movement followed the principles of pirate party politics, including direct democracy, civil rights, net neutrality, and the free exchange of knowledge. This led to the creation of the Icelandic Pirate Party (Píratar).
The party uses digital tools to support democratic participation. For example, online video conferencing allows members and citizens to join policy discussions. One of its most important platforms, x.piratar.is, supports the party’s decision-making process.
New policies are:
- Shared on the platform
- Discussed for one week
- Voted on by party members across Iceland
The party also uses discussion platforms like Discourse to engage with the public.
By creating a more digital, transparent, and accessible form of democracy, the Icelandic Pirate Party gained more than 15% of the vote in Iceland’s 2016 general elections. It became the country’s second-largest political party. This approach helped make digital democracy more popular by showing how technology can increase civic participation.
However, digital transformation is about more than improving efficiency and access. It can also help create more open and participatory societies. Digital democracies show how technology can increase public involvement and strengthen democratic processes.
GovTech and Democracy
Governments worldwide are recognizing the value of digital transformation. It can improve the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of public services. In democratic societies, digital tools can also help governments connect more closely with citizens. They can also give people a greater role in decision-making. This combination of technology, governance, and public services has supported the growth of GovTech.
GovTech refers to partnerships between governments and private organizations that create technology solutions for public challenges. Governments may invest in these solutions or work with technology companies to meet specific needs.
GovTech applications are used in areas such as:
- Transportation
- Education
- Financial services
- Procurement
- Public utilities
Estonia is a leading example of digital government transformation. The country has digitized around 99% of its public services, and more than 95% of its citizens use an electronic identity card.
Experts believe continued innovation in government technology can create more efficient and citizen-focused public systems. Research by Accenture shows that many citizens see GovTech as a way to improve democratic participation. They are also willing to engage more actively with personalized public services.
For example, Denmark introduced NemKonto, a digital platform that allows citizens to complete government transactions using a digital ID. More than 95% of the population registered for the service.
Bringing Water to Mexico City
In 2018, Mexico City faced a major water crisis. Its main water supply system, Cutzamala, was temporarily shut down for critical repairs. More than one million residents lost access to water, raising concerns about a possible city-wide drought.
Government officials tried to manage the situation by using emergency resources and creating alternative water supply solutions. However, these efforts were not enough. To address the growing challenge, the Mexico City government partnered with the private technology company Cityflag to develop a faster solution.
Working with city officials, Cityflag created and launched a mobile application that tracked water distribution in real time. The platform included a dashboard that helped monitor water availability across different parts of the city.
This technology helped distribute more than 400,000 gallons of water to millions of residents. It also helped prevent a larger public crisis.
The partnership between Mexico City and Cityflag is now recognized as an example of how GovTech solutions can help governments respond to challenges and improve public services.
The Rise of Civic Tech
The other side of GovTech is civic tech. Civic tech refers to technology created by private organizations to solve civic challenges. Unlike GovTech, which is developed by governments to address local issues, civic tech often has wider applications. This is because it focuses on problems shared by many societies.
The goal of GovTech and civic tech is similar. Both use technology to improve public services and create better governance. Like GovTech, civic technologies can also help strengthen democracy and democratic institutions.
Civic tech can help advance democratic values by:
- Putting citizens first: Civic tech is designed to address shared community concerns. It can make services easier to access and improve citizens’ overall quality of life.
- Making governance less expensive: Civic tech can reduce financial burdens, especially in less wealthy nations. It does this by creating simpler and more affordable ways to deliver services.
- Removing middlemen: In many developing countries, citizens rely on third-party operators to manage complex government processes. These intermediaries may help people avoid bureaucratic challenges in exchange for a fee, which can contribute to corruption. Civic tech reduces the need for middlemen by giving citizens direct access to government services.
Decide Madrid
Following the anti-austerity protests in 2011 and the Spanish financial crisis of 2014, a group of like-minded Madrileños worked together to create an online platform called Decide Madrid. They were supported by the political party Ahora Madrid and the city’s mayor.
The platform was designed to ensure that every citizen had a voice and could take part in the city’s decision-making process.
Citizens could participate in four main ways:
- Proposing ideas for new legislation, which could then be discussed and voted on
- Voting on projects to prioritize in the annual budget
- Participating in public debates
- Responding to surveys on important public issues
By 2018, Decide Madrid had more than 400,000 registered users. It also received the UN Public Service Award for “establishing more open, transparent, participatory, and inclusive governance models.”
Conclusion
More than 5 billion people now have access to and regularly use the internet. This represents over two-thirds of the world’s population. A We Are Social report published in 2020 found that people spend an average of more than 6 hours a day online. They use the internet for activities such as entertainment, work, education, and communication. In developed countries with high-speed internet access, this average increases to 9 hours.
In just a few decades, digitization and digital transformation have become essential parts of everyday life. Our personal lives increasingly depend on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected experiences it provides.
Today, most companies understand the importance of investing in digital transformation. The public sector is also moving toward greater technology adoption.
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