Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer opportunities for greater civic participation in democratic reform. Government ICT use has, however, predominantly been associated with e-government applications that focus on one-way information provision and service delivery. This article distinguishes between e-government and processes of e-democracy, which facilitate active civic engagement through two-way, ongoing dialogue. It draws from participation initiatives undertaken in two case studies. The first highlights efforts to increase youth political engagement in the local government area of Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. The second is Iceland’s constitutional crowdsourcing, an initiative intended to increase civic input into constitutional reform. These examples illustrate that, in order to maintain legitimacy in the networked environment, a change in governmental culture is required to enable open and responsive e-democracy practices. When coupled with traditional participation methods, processes of e-democracy facilitate widespread opportunities for civic involvement and indicate that digital practices should not be separated from the everyday operations of government. While online democratic engagement is a slowly evolving process, initial steps are being undertaken by governments that enable e-participation to shape democratic reform.
Highlights
This article explores e-participation efforts undertaken in the United Kingdom (UK) and Iceland to highlight how governments at varying levels are attempting to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to engage citizens in democratic practices
Governments, retain the responsibility for final decision-making and policy formation (OECD, 2003; see OECD, 2001; Kingston, 2007). It is this final form – participation – that empowers citizens to shape political agendas and alter the focus of government initiatives, enabling citizens to raise their views and suggest alternatives rather than being restricted to topics pre-set by governments. It is this type of government-led online civic participation that offers governments the opportunity to address emerging external pressures, demands for greater involvement, and changing understandings and expectations related to democratic participation and representation
This requires information provision and civic feedback offered to governments, but this moves beyond the one-way dissemination of information associated with e-government activities and the restricted level of feedback that can be obtained through e-consultation
Summary
Changes to democratic processes have never been swift, but nor are they ever stagnant. Keane (2009) suggests that democracy is transforming to incorporate additional deliberative and participatory features, and the current post-representative democratic form has been in development since 1945. ICT-enabled mechanisms offer opportunities to address and adapt to broadening understandings of political representation, transparency, participation and accountability Such practices offer citizens possibilities for additional involvement, understanding and engagement in the democratic system. ( it is worth noting that eparticipation builds upon the information and consultation opportunities offered through the other forms, so each offers a necessary component of digital citizen participation.) It is this type of government-led online civic participation that offers governments the opportunity to address emerging external pressures, demands for greater involvement, and changing understandings and expectations related to democratic participation and representation. The following section explores the distinctions between e-government and edemocracy
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