Jan-19-14 By IdeaConnection
In numerous towns and cities across the world, citizens are having more of a say in sorting out civic problems. Through open innovation and crowdsourcing initiatives thousands of people are not only involved in identifying particular challenges such as pollution, poor water quality and graffiti, but also in designing and implementing the solutions.
Local and regional authorities realize they can’t go it alone and need the smarts of those who have vested interests in the outcomes. The added bonus of these activities is they bring the governed closer to those who govern, making for a more transparent, open society.
In an article in Journal Sentinal, Satish Nambisan, a professor of entrepreneurship and technology management at the Lubar School of Business identified four roles that citizens play in civic innovation and problem solving.