US GovernmentLegislative Branch

House of Representatives435 Members2 year terms

Senate100 Members6 year terms

1995Committee StaffOffice of Technology AssessmentArms Control and Foreign Policy CaucusLegislative Service Organizations

The Lobotomy of Congress

COMPLEX GLOBAL ISSUES IGNORE BORDERS

New Missions after Cold War

COLD WAR1991

Somalia

HaitiHonduras

Bosnia

Kosovo

East Tim

or

AfghanistanPakist

an

Indian Ocean

Iraq

Orphaned Issues

Armed Services Committee

Foreign Relations

Committee

How Congress influences policy

• Introduce resolutions and policy statements: •Initiate legislative directives: • Establish new programs.•Apply legislative pressure: • Enact legislative restrictions and deny funding:• Give Informal Advice:

Leftovers

Righteous

Everyone Else

How Congress Hears About Complex Issues800% more contact30-40% less staffmoney=speech

Technology Mashup Fellows

• Civic Tech• Legislation • Inventory district expertise?• Communication?• civic engagement?• Consultation• Social Media• Technical Translator and

Educator

• What tools?• When in legislative

process?• Real-time?• Mobile?• Calendar?• Chat?• Expert Hubs?• Higher ed partnerships• local networks i.e. wikis

Hard Power World

Social Capital World•Civic Technology Tools •Big Data Analytics•Knowledge Curation•Local, Social, Mobile

• Corruption• Dominance of Narrow

Interests• Obsolescence• Incapacitation• Centralization

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