GovTech - A Vision

New Jersey

Our government’s technological infrastructure sucks, and yet the government imposes on so many parts of our lives. People are attached to their devices, but not to their communities. There is a gap between our devices, and our communities, that, if filled, would do wonders for our communities. ​

A few ‘this-for-that’ applications:

• Uber for community projects
• GitHub for legislation and community ordinances
• Blockchain for community funding

Uber for Community Projects
Who builds our roads? Who fixes our sidewalks? Who plants trees on our block? There’s a glaring gap between the people who physically work on a neighborhood and the people who live in it. More and more, downtowns are becoming inaccessible for many. At the same time, their physical infrastructures are deteriorating and becoming overwhelmingly costly (time + money).

What if people could pick up jobs like fixing a sidewalk or planting a tree the same way Uber drivers pick up a rider? Jobs that need to be done can be signaled to a network of operators that can pick them up. 

A system like this could work against NIMBYism culturally, as it would connect us more to the people who work in our neighborhoods, while providing a positive and much needed service.

At the same time this will help people feel a closer connection to their community by taking part in its needs. Empowered to fix ‘that thing the city really should take care of’ themselves, people will feel more attached to their communities.

This has the potential to scale, such that it could work for  small community projects, or larger construction, infrastructure projects (high speed rail).

GitHub for Legislation and Community Ordinances
Lawyers, politicians, and cops have a hard time keeping up with the granularities of our legal infrastructure. It’s pretty much impossible for many citizens. Proposing anything, whether it be a minor, but important, local ordinance, or state and federal legislation, requires overcoming unending legal hurdles. Many choose not to involve themselves in this legal leviathan, but many are forced to. Both are severe problems. 

We can increase engagement and understanding of our legal systems by treating them like software engineers treat code - with version control. Version control can tell us exactly what differences were made when, and exactly how a new proposal would affect our product. Citizens can propose new legislation to an open-source law book in the same manner users submit pull requests to open-source repositories.

Clear access to and awareness of our laws can offer a layer of protection for many who are oppressed by bad actors. Transparency would work to incentivize agains acting in bad faith.

Blockchain for Community Funding
Financial transparency and participation. All government and community expenses would be immutably visible on a public blockchain. Additionally, funding can be allocated by a voting system. All citizens pay taxes. Citizens can now have a say in how that money is allocated. This will streamline funding efforts for community projects (e.g. street lamps, sidewalk repairs). Blockchain is the obvious solution here. When there is a lack of funds for a needed project, it will be clear why. Citizens may be more inclined to pay more if they are certain it will be put to good use, so this infrastructure can also provide support for sourcing more funds for projects that would benefit the collective.


Final Thoughts
I am not advocating for the government to be more involved in our lives. Quite the opposite. I am advocating for citizens to be more involved in their communities.