I need an academic researcher on networked governance

Prince George, BC

Spread this request out to your networks.

I am involved with a fascinating three year project which is creating a network of learning circles across Canada to bring policy makers, practitioners and academics together around cracking the next level for urban Aboriginal economic development in Canada.   We had a very successful kick off meeting in Ottawa in October and we now have some learning circles taking shape across the country.

One of the circles is located in Prince George and it’s looking at models of urban Aboriginal governance.   Tonight my friends Ray Gerow, Veronica Creyke and I were talking about the fact that when most people look at governance structures, they picture a body that makes decisions and manages resources.   We are very interested in looking at the way governance happens when people take responsibility for creating their futures collectively.   In other words, a bottom up approach to governance that is based on networked action, governance that emerges from community and economic development in action.   That is what is happening here in Prince George and we want to study it and tell the story.

The basis for this inquiry comes from an Open Space we ran here four years ago.   That event was notable in that the community created 21 projects all led by community members who attracted people to help them out.   Everything from resurrecting the Aboriginal Choice School idea (which is why I am here this week) to organizing drug addicts and homeless men in helping to spruce up the parks and public spaces where they live.

The champions of the action groups were completely self-selected and they later came together as a champions council and together decided how to spend the $250,000 that the federal government set aside to support these projects.   It was remarkable and it lasted for two years in tha format.   Since then, an organization has taken over the funding and the process has gone back to a more traditional governance model.   But much of the work that was started continues on and another Open Space is in the works to revive the idea, and that made us think that the most effective governance for this urban Aboriginal community was not a structure at all but rather some form of “action governance” based in real development work.

We don’t know what any of this means or looks like, but through this project we have a chance to explore it.   What we are looking for is an academic who would be eligible for a SSHRC grant to look at a very different kind of community governance, something akin to wirearchy in action but absolutely without using Web 2.0 or really any kind of social networking technology other than Open Space and other conversational social technologies. Part of my inquiry in thinking about how social technologies can come into this field and enhance the latent governance function.

If you are interested, or know someone who is, let me know.   We have money and some interesting questions and we would like the story told.