POPVOX Foundation's Response to OMB's RFI on Public Participation
In response to OMB’s RFI titled "Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Public Participation and Community Engagement with the Federal Government,” POPVOX Foundation submitted a comment emphasizing experience and challenges in participation, recommendations for improvement, and successful models.
Deliberative practices to advance equity and support for underserved communities
Deliberation is the "mutual communication that involves weighing and reflecting on preferences, values, and interest regarding matters of common concern." Deliberative democracy takes the ideals of deliberation and puts them into the context of democratic values and governance. It promotes discussion as a meaningful form of democratic participation in hopes that these discussions can make decision-making processes in government more democratic.
What OMB can learn from Congressional caseworkers on advancing equity and support for underserved communities through government
Congressional offices — especially district offices and the insight of those staffers with casework responsibilities — are an underutilized source of insight for the improvement of federal processes. In this response to OMB’s Equity RFI, we discuss with several caseworkers what OMB can learn from their work, and provide recommendations.
Expand existing “customer experience” (CX) efforts to include “civic experience” (CivX) principles
In recent years, the Federal Government has prioritized customer experience (“CX”) metrics for public-facing services. The narrow construct of “citizen as customer,” however, can have detrimental effects on the advancement of equity in governing processes. This submission describes the growth of CX practices within the Federal Government and how a narrow CX focus can negatively impact equity. We then offer recommendations to help OMB guide agencies toward more inclusive engagement metrics like civic knowledge, public trust, and political efficacy in addition to conventional “customer experience” measures.
POPVOX Foundation submission on OMB’s Equity RFI
The POPVOX Foundation is honored to submit this response to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Request for Information (“the Equity RFI”) on “Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government.”
The OMB Equity RFI: YES, you should submit comments!
The Office of Management and Budget, the main administrative agency for the federal government, issued a “Request for Information” — an (RFI), asking the public to provide input on “Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government.”
This is an unprecedented opportunity for researchers, advocates, public servants, community leaders, citizens, and more to raise their ideas and work to the highest levels of government, and set the agenda for reshaping the federal government for equity for all.