Finland’s Next Laws To Emerge From Online Crowdsourced Proposals

Source: www.singularityhub.com | Original Post Date: October 24, 2012 –

Why isn’t that a law?

You may have muttered this phrase or heard someone else say it out of frustration, but chances are that question has popped up in conversation in one form or another. It’s the universal plight of citizens to feel underrepresented by their government, expressing their frustration at what is and isn’t legal. But the political winds of change are gaining momentum, and governments are beginning to see the value of the crowd, as opposed to the masses, in shaping legislation.

Case in point: Finland now allows citizens to propose new laws online, and if an initiative gathers enough votes, the government must vote on it.

This year, Finland has taken two huge steps to make crowdsourced laws a reality. First, its constitution last March was modified to allow every citizen…