Beyond Transactional Democracy: A Study of Civic Tech in Canada

Technologies are increasingly enrolled in projects to involve civilians in the work of policy-making, often under the label of 'civic technology'. But conventional forms of participation through transactions such as voting provide limited opportunities for engagement. In response, some civic tech groups organize around issues of shared concern to explore new forms of democratic technologies. How does their work affect the relationship between publics and public servants? This paper explores how a Civic Tech Toronto creates a platform for civic engagement through the maintenance of an autonomous community for civic engagement and participation that is casual, social, nonpartisan, experimental, and flexible. Based on two years of action research, including community organizing, interviews, and observations, this paper shows how this grassroots civic tech group creates a civic platform that places a diverse range of participants in contact with the work of public servants, helping to build capacities and relationships that prepare both publics and public servants for the work of participatory democracy. The case shows that understanding civic tech requires a lens beyond the mere analysis or production of technical artifacts. As a practice for making technologies that is social and participatory, civic tech creates alternative modes of technology development and opportunities for experimentation and learning, and it can reconfigure the roles of democratic participants.