With the recent changes in China and with the incoming administration in the US it is interesting to note some similarities that I think have not been discussed enough. Both governments are interested in using the internet to involve the citizens more and to improve the quality on the decisions. Obviously the history and vision of the two governments differs in many areas, but the challenge of governance in a time where information is flowing fast and shared among very many people the old forms of governance are under pressure. Pressure to work in new ways as people will expect and demand new things from their governments, but also pressure to ensure that the energy is captured in the best possible way. The way countries have become powerful has changes over time, ranging from good soldiers, access to natural resources and population to high-tech weapons, industrial production capacity and control over the financial flows.Innovation and capacity to process and turn information into knowledge is likely to be the next defining area. This in a situation where humanity also must meet the need of the many poor that probably will suffer even more. 2009 could be the first time in human history where more than one billion people will go hungry around the globe. It is time for those who want to do something significant to step forward… Hopefully some of the projects I will engage in next year can play more than a marginal role in the work to address this.
To explore participation and creativity with a Wikimocracy approach is not only something that governments can do…. The follow-up with CII to our joint report, Indian Companies with Solutions that the World Needs - Sustainability as a driver for innovation ans profit, is one very promising track...
