Business Intelligence and Information Management meets Social Responsibility. See Maplight.org 

This mashup is a brilliant example of information technology driving transparency to create a world for the citizens and not only the big-buck businesses.  Combining internet technology with law has some ground shaking potential. So, now the "Right to Information Act" or Offentlighetsloven (or whatever each nation chooses to call their public information policy) can have real teeth. Watch this 6-min video) and judge the potential for yourself.

As a citizen, I wonder what happens to the old way politicians were elected to power? Do we really need to vote people in for 4 or 7 years at a stretch?

As a technologist, I see some really interesting ways to leverage topic-maps, semantic technologies and open-format content.

The "open-sourcedness" of this type of initiative is definitely the way to go. Need to push for information acess (social scientists) and information and semantic technology standards (technologists).
 
PS! This Wired article set me on this train of thought.