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Crowdsourcing A Constitution in Iceland
Crowdsourcing A Constitution in Iceland
Iceland has gone through many political changes in the wake of the country's financial collapse. One big change on the horizon is drafting a new constitution. In an interesting social experiment, the country has decided to crowdsource their effort to draft new national laws.-
On The Stream, we spoke with Katrin Oddsdóttir, a member of Iceland's Constitution Council.
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The banking crisis that brought down the Icelandic economy, paradoxically created space for opportunities: the scandal made the Icelandic government decide to adopt a new and more open way to legislate in order to create a better relationship with citizens, outraged by the corruption of their country.
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Iceland's Constitutional Council has decided that involving the people in every aspect of creating a new guiding national document would best be done by leveraging social media tools in addition to an open meetings policy.
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It's shaping up to be a pretty awesome document from what we can tell.
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From the Icelandic Constitutional Council's YouTube page:
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The Icelandic Constitutional Council's Facebook page:
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A lot of people, here in france, are happy to see that Iceland re-invents democracy and equality. So noble. (...) Best Wishes from Bordeaux, show to the the whole World that Iceland is the Best ;) Bless!
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Viva islandia! from spain
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best wishes from Berlin! even here, lots of people like what you're doing! go ahead***
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The Icelandic Constitutional Council's Twitter page:
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Speaking of delegates, @Orninn49 and @EirikurBergmann recently joined Twitter. You should follow them as well
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Tonight the sun does not set in Iceland. I believe many of our delegates are using the opportunity and working late #iceconst
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Grassroots are calling out to those skilled in old viking language and English to help translate the draft as it stands http://bit.ly/iir3Xj
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A selection of the images posted on the Icelandic Constitutional Council's Flickr page:
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With the draft Human Rights section currently ensuring universal mental and physical healthcare, academic freedom, and the protection of natural resources, some critics are questioning the cost of this "picture perfect" plan.
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@AJStream I'm not sure how they are going to be able to pay for it all. The next logical step would be crowd funding ;-)
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This is not the first time the country has turned to its citizens for advice. In late 2010, hundreds of Icelanders competed for a chance to be one of the 25 Constitutional Council members, tasked with helping to draft a new set of laws.
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"It is very important for ordinary citizens, who have no direct interest in maintaining the status quo, to take part in a constitutional review," said Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir. "We are hoping this new constitution will be a new social covenant leading to reconstruction and reconciliation, and for that to happen, the entire nation needs to be involved."
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Is this a smart move for Iceland? Could it be a successful model for other countries? Share your opinion with The Stream via Facebook and Twitter.
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