Improvements in public consultation (ES0106)

1.1.1. Network of public participation and innovation laboratories

Brief description

The project proposes to reactivate the Inter-administrative Network for Service Quality as a space that connects various workshops and initiatives aimed at promoting citizen participation and innovation within the public administration. The network seeks to create synergies, share knowledge, methodologies and best practices among the different laboratories, as well as expand the scope and impact of public participation and innovation initiatives. The Network will operate through working groups that will be set up as necessary to encourage citizen participation and cooperate in the innovation of public services aimed at serving citizens. Essentially, the aim is to formalise and strengthen this inter-administrative network in order to consolidate a collaborative ecosystem between the administration and citizens that addresses public challenges in a more effective and innovative way. The collaboration will include all stakeholders—national, regional, local, and international—and will incorporate the advances and initiatives of the OECD's Public Sector Innovation Observatory (OPSI). The Network of Public Participation and Innovation Laboratories will recognise established experiences—such as Medialab Prado, LAAAB in Aragón and SEGIB's LabiC method—that have provided valuable lessons and replicable methodologies in citizen innovation and open government. Likewise, as it evolves, it will seek ways to incorporate other voices, especially those from academia and civil society.

Objectives

• Promote inter-administrative cooperation in participation and innovation in public services. • Enable spaces for sharing the learning generated in specific laboratories, such as those dedicated to citizen services.
• Facilitate and structure collaboration between public administration and citizens in identifying and solving public challenges.
• Promote innovation in public management through experimentation and the adoption of new participatory methodologies, acting as a catalyst for innovative practices.
• Create synergies and encourage the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices between different laboratories or initiatives for public participation and innovation, maximising the impact and efficiency of individual efforts.
• Create synergies and encourage the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices between different laboratories or initiatives for public participation and innovation, maximising the impact and efficiency of individual efforts.
• Strengthen the capacities of public administration and civil society in the areas of participation and innovation through mutual learning and collaboration within the network.
• Create a secure space for collaboration and exchange of information and best practices between the three levels of government—national, regional and local—focusing on the main areas of work linked to the Ministry's strategy for Digital Transformation and Public Service, as well as the lines of action of the European Commission and OECD expert groups on public governance, such as administrative simplification and total quality.
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1.1.2. Citizen Participation Platform

Brief description

This new platform will facilitate citizen participation in public affairs, creating better conditions for the exercise of that right, enabling the monitoring of plans and programmes, as well as other participatory processes, and significantly improving interaction with users.

Among the most notable features of the new platform are the ability to view and vote on contributions from other users as well as your own, subscribe to news and information on the progress of participatory processes via email, the inclusion of a personal space from which to manage contributions made and subscriptions to information on the progress of the processes, as well as new features for interaction between users (such as the ability to respond to other users' contributions, similar to a discussion forum). For user managers, there will also be a module for viewing and generating statistics on participation in the various participatory processes.

Objectives

To improve the quality of citizen participation in public administration, ensuring that anyone can contribute effectively to decisions that affect society as a whole.

1.1.3 Citizen participation through emerging technologies

Brief description

The project includes activities such as systemic mapping of the participatory ecosystem, surveys of key actors, collaborative workshops, and innovation boot camps. These actions seek to identify barriers and facilitators for implementing emerging technologies in participatory processes. In addition, prototypes are being developed that will initially be tested in the participating countries.

In Portugal, the focus is on ""Technology Free Zones"", controlled spaces for testing innovative solutions. In Spain, INAP's Public Innovation Laboratory (LIP) leads workshops to validate diagnoses and design tools adapted to local needs, and HazLab, an innovation laboratory for participation run by the Directorate-General for Public Governance, is a project that seeks to transform citizen participation through technology, fostering a more active and inclusive relationship between citizens and public administrations in Europe.

Objectives

Strengthening citizen participation:
• Create innovative mechanisms that enable more inclusive interaction between citizens and public administrations.
• Promote participatory processes that respond to the real needs of citizens. Integrate emerging technologies:
• Use advanced digital tools to facilitate communication and access to decision-making processes.
• Prototype technological solutions that can be implemented in participating countries. Foster cross-border collaboration:
• Develop an innovation ecosystem that connects public institutions, civil society, academia and the private sector.
• Share best practices and experiences among the countries involved. Promote youth participation:
• Design specific policies and tools to involve young people in participatory processes.