Electronic parliament as a factor of sustainable development: History and prospects

Abstract

The relevance and significance of the study of the history and prospects of electronic parliamentarism as a factor of sustainable development is conditioned upon the anthropocentric vision of the idea of digitalization of the parliament. For the purpose, the authors chose to consider the system of digital tools that make up the e-parliament in the context of its role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions”. The main methods of scientific cognition, which were used when drafting the study, were the methods of content analysis, analogy, and comparison. The levels of the multi-level system of information and data security as a key element of the security of digitalization of the parliament were defined, challenges related to the legal, economic, social, and technological aspects of the process were outlined. Based on the analysis of legal acts and directly on the websites of the parliaments of countries with different democracy indices (Great Britain, Iceland, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic countries), global trends in the specified area were formulated. The author emphasized the inherent nature of certain features and the uncertainty of the consequences of digitalization of the parliament in states with various levels of democratic development and different economic indicators. It was established that the transition of parliamentarians in communication with voters from conventional communication in an offline format to an online format contributes to the implementation of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation, and participation in the political sphere. The results of the study were designed to update the issue of the need to introduce new electronic parliamentary tools for the implementation of digital democracy mechanisms in society