So last month I finally defended my doctoral thesis. Here’s a short post to close that chapter, looking at the process, product, and next steps.
September 10, 2019
phDone
10September
June 25, 2019
I read this for you: Experimental Evidence from 2,150 Brazilian Municipalities on how Research Affects Policy
25June
What is it: A 59pg Working Paper from NBER (inc. 6pgs of references and 29 pgs of tables and annexes). Presents the results of two field experiments, plus background and lots of methods. Includes a highly readable 4 page intro that summarizes everything. Produced by four solid academics doing rigorous work, with no institutional biases that I can see. Should you care: Maybe. It’s a cool and smart...
June 25, 2019
Sources for civic tech research
Civic tech research is scattered widely across a messy web. Here's what I track to try to keep up to date, with a focus on Google Scholar search terms for academic stuff, research websites that sometimes address civic tech, and civic tech feeds that sometimes reference research.
May 29, 2019
Is OGP asking enough?: an analysis of civic participation norms and policies
29May
One of the ways we expect OGP to improve governance in member countries is by telling governments (how) to be more participatory. But a close read of the participation norms and policies promoted and adopted in an OGP context suggests that even if government’s did everything they were told, it might not be such a game changer for responsiveness and accountability.
May 27, 2019
Learning and socialization in OGP: a research gap and how to fix it
27May
Soft power and voluntary social dynamics are what make MSI’s like OGP unique. Yet these dynamics are almost completely ignored in the burgeoning body of research on public governance MSIs. This is probably because compliance and impact seem easier to measure, but research on how OGP facilitates socialization and learning is as feasible as it is important. This post presents findings from a case...
May 22, 2019
Measuring the effectiveness and impact of multi-stakeholder initiatives like the OGP
22May
This is the first a series of posts ahead of the OGP Summit in Ottawa, summarizing aspects of my doctoral research on OGP and civic participation. You can find some background on that research here. We spend a lot of time talking about whether or not global MSIs like the OGP are “working”. These conversations often take place against the backdrop of dissatisfaction with results and...
May 21, 2019
TAI’s guide to contextualizing learning and evidence
21May
TAI and the MIT GovLab have come out with a method and tool for better evidence reviews for program design, specifying context and hypothesis. This is an essential step towards better evidence for better programming.
May 17, 2019
The last limitless roundup: design matters, generalizing from Bahrain; more maps of bikes and beer.
17May
This is the last effort to round up *all the research*, and it’s packed with findings on participatory budgeting design, e-government transformation and the conditions for responsive and accountable government. You’ll also find meaty overviews of community contributions, methodological deep dives, useful research and a pile of case studies.
May 15, 2019
Snark spring cleaning
15May
There's some changes coming to the snark. Research roundups will be topical and episodic rather than comprehensive and regular. This will open bandwidth for more research reviews and summaries by request, and more writing about the role of evidence in civic tech design. Lastly, some news and links to articles from my doctoral work on OGP.
February 1, 2019
Nov-Jan Research Roundup: the many benefits of participation, tools for building civic engagement
01February
This roundup dumps 3 months of links, with evidence that participation boosts, trust and policy satisfaction, but info might not empower communities as we like to think. Plus insights on boosting civic engagement, the state of ICT4D, and lots of useful research for designing open data and government crowdsourcing initiatives.