Governance & Community Governance & Community Renewal in a Digital World:Renewal in a Digital World:

Prospects & ChallengesProspects & Challenges

J. Roy, J. Roy,

University of Ottawa / VictoriaUniversity of Ottawa / Victoria

Tweed, October 15Tweed, October 15thth, 2004, 2004

Session OverviewSession Overview

1) Introduction - Three Questions– A Geo-Digital Divide

2) From Cooperation to Collaboration– The Cases of Northern Ontario & Cape Breton

3) Conclusions– Future Research Directions

1) Three Questions1) Three Questions

Can all cities and towns survive and flourish?

Are we doing enough to empower small towns and non-metropolitan regions?

Does the Internet guarantee a successful rural and small town renewal?

The Geo-Digital DivideThe Geo-Digital Divide

• Market forces favour urbanizationMarket forces favour urbanization– Demographic flows followDemographic flows follow

• A centralized public sector (federally & A centralized public sector (federally & provincially) does the sameprovincially) does the same

– 21st Century Canada as a nation of cities21st Century Canada as a nation of cities

• Rural communities & small towns are often left as Rural communities & small towns are often left as the residualthe residual

– To be assisted rather than empoweredTo be assisted rather than empowered

2) From Cooperation to 2) From Cooperation to CollaborationCollaboration

   Cooperation - Informal relationships that exist without any commonly defined mission, structure or planning; and

Collaboration - A more durable and pervasive relationship involving shared structures and joint authority, a full commitment to a common mission and pooled resources, risks & rewards (Mattessich & al. 2001).

Collaborative EngagementCollaborative Engagement

• The current ‘cooperative’ focus of federal online assistance involves infrastructure

• A more ‘collaborative’ approach must also seek to forge new institutions

– Empowerment - information

– Engagement – participation

– Accountability - authority

Cape Breton & Northern Ontario

• Local change is happening but inter-governmental structures are lagging

• A more localized & collaborative culture across governments must be forged, with local empowerment (not assistance) as the goal

– Working paper attached (on these two case studies)

Cape Breton & Northern Ontario

• FedNor & ECBC

• Agents of local change within federal structures

• Federal decentralization (limited), but not devolution to communities

• An absence of collaborative accountability

Cape Breton & Northern Ontario

• Demographics & Youth:

• The necessity of governance online in addressing demographic divides

• Youth expectations• Technology disruptions• Community corporatism

3) Conclusion3) Conclusion

• For stronger local capacities, the Internet For stronger local capacities, the Internet must serve as a foundation to strengthen must serve as a foundation to strengthen the endogenous drivers of all communitiesthe endogenous drivers of all communities

– Empowerment / Engagement / AccountabilityEmpowerment / Engagement / Accountability

– Purposeful dialogue & participative Purposeful dialogue & participative development are keys development are keys

• Participation must be seen more broadly and more powerfully as an opportunity to strengthen local democracy, empower citizens to influence the quality of life in their communities, and educate citizens more broadly about economic forces and trade-offs at play within their communities and beyond.

– Kukensmeyer & Hasseblad Torres, 2003

» AmericaSpeaks

In the 21In the 21stst century, communities can only survive and century, communities can only survive and prosper by being something more than soulless zip prosper by being something more than soulless zip codes of brick and glass inter-connected by fiber codes of brick and glass inter-connected by fiber optic cables. More than anything, this reclaimed optic cables. More than anything, this reclaimed sense of civic spirit, not technology or government sense of civic spirit, not technology or government intervention, will determine how future communities intervention, will determine how future communities secure their place in the geography of the digital age.secure their place in the geography of the digital age.

» Joel Kotkin, The New Geography (2000) Joel Kotkin, The New Geography (2000)

A Next Step: SSHRC – CURAA Next Step: SSHRC – CURA(with CRRF & FCM) (with CRRF & FCM)

• Exploring the emerging patterns of rural and urban Exploring the emerging patterns of rural and urban development across the countrydevelopment across the country

– Economic & commuting flows versus civic and political Economic & commuting flows versus civic and political capacitiescapacities

– Digital development as a new variable to assessDigital development as a new variable to assess– Re-aligning governance for both rural – urban Re-aligning governance for both rural – urban

independence and interdependenceindependence and interdependence

• Working with communities to gather data, develop Working with communities to gather data, develop case studies and undertake pilot projects aimed at case studies and undertake pilot projects aimed at governance experimentation governance experimentation

Thank You!

•For any feedback or follow-up, please do not hesitate to be in touch:

- jroy44@hotmail.com