Jake Dunagan, IFTF’s Research Director talks about the Connected Citizens program, and why this is an important theme to explore.

This idea of civic technologies and Government 2.0 and new models of citizen engagement using networked technologies filters through a lot of the work we’ve done at the Institute, because it’s such an important thing that’s happening – this moment of change when a new level of citizen and government relations is happening.

Given the range of ways that citizens can now participate to shape the public sphere – hackathons, city camps, policy camps, etc – Jake sees gamification as being part of this “ecology of invention” and that the idea of using a game-based approach is becoming less of an inhibitor for governments.

I think that minds are changing on that – I think the word ‘game’ doesn’t scare as many people as it once did… game is really just a proxy word for engagement.

About Jake Dunagan

Jake Dunagan is the Research Director for the Institute For the Future, with a particular focus on the accelerating transformations of individuals, culture, and governance. In his research, Jake explores how societies are adapting to the Neurocentric age, a time of unprecedented ability to view and modify the mind. Recently, he has written and lectured on comprehensive cognitive design, judicial foresight, kids’ technologies, neuroscience and the ocean, alternative energy futures, social media, and the future of work.

Jake also designs artifacts, games, immersive experiences of future worlds, and produces guerilla public engagement projects that inject the future into the mental ecology of the present.

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Episode links and resources

• Institute For The Future
• Connected Citizens game

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In this special 2-part interview with Zachary Tumin from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Centre, we look at how all parts of society can collaborate to innovate.

Zach also previews his new book ‘Collaborate or Perish’ where he and co-author William J. Bratton have developed an 8-phase collaboration lifecycle to help anyone with an idea to more successfully collaborate.

“Gov 2.0, as a proxy for increased engagement and involvement of citizens with government, is mighty and a force to be reckoned with… Whether or not government gets the idea of collaboration, it’s constantly going on all around us and the best thing that government can do is tap into it.”

About Zachary Tumin

Zachary Tumin is Special Assistant to Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Over his career, Zach has served at the Kennedy School in research and staff positions, and in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors as chief executive, staff, and consultant to leaders in industry and government.

Zach leads research initiatives, teaches senior executives in closed door sessions and addresses organizations in keynote and panels around the world. He is the author of numerous teaching cases, working papers, reports and essays.

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Part 1 – Gov 2.0

Part 2  – Collaboration

Episode links and resources

• Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
• Report – From Government 2.0 to Society 2.0: Pathways to Engagement, Collaboration and Transformation
• Zach Tumin’s personal website

Collaborate or Perish!

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  @Kennedy_School
  @BelferCenter
• Tags: #gov20 #society20 #collaboration #innovation