How should the public sector respond to the pressures coming from radical social-media-savvy political parties, such as the Piratenpartei in Germany? Do citizens expect local government to be as responsive 24/7 on Facebook and Twitter in the same way that they are themselves? And what are the costs of using social media – will they involve employing extra staff in public sector communications units? These were some of the key issues raised at the 17th European Public Management Conference in Bremen, which focussed on the latest trends in government 2.0. The data protection officer of the City-State of Bremen was clearly concerned about the implications of the spreading use of Facebook by local government – and the German government is deep in discussion with Facebook on the data protection aspects of its work. However, examples of open data apps in Bremen and Lohne Councils showed that government 2.0 can also unleash enormous creativity on the part of citizens. Indeed, Elke Loeffler stressed in her keynote speech to the conference that open data and social media are first and foremost powerful tools to strengthen citizen participation, collaboration, transparency and the fight against corruption. In the interactive workshop which followed on from her speech, she showcased European good practices such as ‘Talk about Local’, the youth website ‘Stradanove’ of Modena Council in Italy and the active complaints management of Arnsberg Council in Germany – all case studies which demonsrate practical ways of improving outcomes through open government.

Click here to download the conference presentations