Wiki Government shows how to bring innovation to government. In explaining how to enhance political institutions with the power of networks, it offers a fundamental rethinking of democracy in the digital age. Collaborative democracy-government of the people, by the people, for the people-is an old dream. Today, Wiki Government shows how technology can make that dream a reality. In this thought-provoking book, Beth Simone Noveck illustrates how collaborative democracy strengthens public decisionmaking by connecting the power of the many to the work of the few. Equally important, she provides a step-by-step demonstration of how collaborative democracy can be designed, opening policymaking to greater participation. "Wiki Government" tells the story behind one of the most dramatic public sector innovations in recent years - inviting the public to participate in the patent examination process. Patent examiners usually work in secret, cut off from essential information and racing against the clock to master arcane technical claims. The Peer-to-Patent project radically transformed this process by allowing anyone with Internet access to collaborate with the agency in reviewing patent applications. "Wiki Government" describes how a far-flung team of technologists, lawyers, and policymakers pried open a tradition-bound agency's doors. Noveck explains how she brought both fiercely competitive companies and risk-averse bureaucrats on board. She discusses the design challenges the team faced in creating software to distill online collaboration into useful expertise, not just rants or raves. And she explains how law, policy, and technology can be revamped to help government work in more open and participatory ways in a wide range of policy arenas, including education and the environment.

Oder nehmen wir Wikipedia, für die Solutionisten die beliebteste Vorlage, nach der sie die Welt umbauen wollen; Buchtitel wie Wikinomics und Wiki Govemment zeugen davon, welche Rolle diese Website in ihrer Vorstellungswelt spielt. Das Problem, wenn man Wikipedia als Vorbild nimmt, besteht darin, dass niemand - nicht einmal ihr Gründer Jimmy Wales - wirklich weiß, wie Wikipedia funktioniert. Davon auszugeben, dass wir trotzdem lebensverändemde Lehren daraus ableiten und auf vollkommen anderen Gebieten anwenden können, ist, gelinde gesagt, arrogant. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass sich so viele Mythen um die Site ranken - was zu von Wikipedia inspirierten Lösungen führen könnte, die Wikipedias Geist ganz falsch widerspiegeln.