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takete's review
5.0
Although this book is primarily about US civic technology the parallels to the UK are significant. If you’re engaged in or interested in working in tech for government or third sector, this is essential reading.
martinatan's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Took me about nine months and a family vacation to finally pore over this (I had been annotating it with a lot of reflection when I started it in July) after buying the book in preparation for my first job in civic tech! I found this incredibly helpful as a reference and a reassuring voice for the field. It was great to read it with some inward reflection about the two projects I’ve been on so far and how they are so uniquely government tech projects. I can’t wait to explore more of the recommended further reading scattered throughout the footnotes and in the back of the guide. I am also really interested to see what other types of civic tech guides and essay collections there are out there, especially in the last couple of years since this was published!
hinzed1127's review
4.0
A good, broad (but not deep) overview of the state of civic tech in the US. Certain aspects definitely seemed to allude more towards how things work at the federal level (procurement, policy, work styles), but valuable advice and insights that work across lots of areas within the field.
Harrell describes civic tech as a 50-year project entering its teenage years. Let's hope these guiding principles prove prescient in another decade or two.
Harrell describes civic tech as a 50-year project entering its teenage years. Let's hope these guiding principles prove prescient in another decade or two.
akvolcano's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Fantastic read! Most subjects when covering Civic Tech tend to focus more on the tech part and almost completely disregard the Civic part. That has not been the case with this book! The author consistently emphasized the importance and role of humanistic involvement within this world. They also did a beautiful job explaining why it’s important and the effort of having (of missing) that element. It was an extremely thought out and well connected piece of work. The author provided statements, research, thoughtful reflection, and also left room for mistakes/unknown. At the end of the book-there was also plenty of resources given to the audience in order to help begin their own work. Due to this book, I have learned more about the central governmental technology without losing any value to the people it affects and the people who create it. Well done
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Pandemic/Epidemic