E-democracy
594501
225596790
2008-07-14T14:02:07Z
84.232.192.27
/* Europe */
{{Nofootnotes|date=August 2007}}
{{Politics}}
'''E-democracy''', a [[portmanteau]] of the words "[[electronics|electronic]]" and "[[democracy]]," comprises the use of electronic [[communication]]s [[technologies]] such as the [[Internet]] in enhancing democratic processes within a democratic [[republic]] or [[representative democracy]]. It is a political development still in its infancy, as well as the subject of much debate and activity within government, civic-oriented groups and [[society|societies]] around the world.
The term is both descriptive and prescriptive. Typically, the kinds of enhancements sought by proponents of e-democracy are framed in terms of making processes more [[accessibility|accessible]]; making [[citizenship|citizen]] [[participation (decision making)|participation]] in [[public policy]] [[decision-making]] more expansive and direct so as to enable broader influence in policy outcomes as more individuals involved could yield smarter policies; increasing transparency and accountability; and keeping the government closer to the [[consent of the governed]], thereby increasing its [[political legitimacy]]. E-democracy includes within its scope ''[[electronic voting]]'', but has a much wider span than this single aspect of the democratic process.
E-democracy is also sometimes referred to as '''cyberdemocracy''' or '''digital democracy'''. Prior to 1994, when the term e-democracy was coined in the midst of online civic efforts in [[Minnesota]], the term '''teledemocracy''' was prevalent.
==Practical issues with e-democracy==
One major obstacle to the success of e-democracy is that of citizen [[identification (information)|identification]]. For secure elections and other secure citizen-to-government transactions, citizens must have some form of identification that preserves [[privacy]] and maybe also one which could be used in [[internet forum]]s. The need to allow anonymous posting while at the same time giving certain contributors extra status can be solved using certain [[Cryptography|cryptographic]] methods.
Another obstacle is that there are many vested interests that would be harmed by a more direct democracy. Amongst these are politicians, [[media mogul]]s and some interests in big business and trade unions. These organizations may be expected to oppose meaningful application of e-democracy concepts.{{Or|date=June 2008}}
[[Robert's Rules of Order]] notes that a [[deliberative assembly]] requires an environment of simultaneous aural communication; otherwise "situations unprecedented in parliamentary law may arise."<ref>RONR (10th ed.), p. 2).</ref> Even in a teleconference or videoconference, adjustments must be made in reference to how recognition is to be sought and the floor obtained.<ref>RONR (10th ed.), p. 483).</ref> The common parliamentary law has not yet developed standardized procedures for conducting business electronically.
==Internet as political medium==
The Internet is viewed as a platform and delivery medium for tools that help to eliminate some of the distance constraints in [[direct democracy]]. Technical media for e-democracy can be expected to extend to mobile technologies such as [[Mobile phone|cellphones]].
There are important differences between previous [[Telecommunication|communication media]] and the Internet that are relevant to the Internet as a political medium. Most importantly the Internet is a many-to-many communication medium where [[radio]] and [[television]], which broadcast few-to-many, and telephones broadcast few-to-few, are not. Also, the Internet has a much greater computational capacity allowing strong [[Public key cryptography|encryption]] and [[database]] management, which is important in community information access and sharing, [[deliberative democracy]] and [[electoral fraud]] prevention. Further, people use the Internet to collaborate or meet in an asynchronous manner — that is, they do not have to be physically gathered at the same moment to get things accomplished.
The lower cost of information-exchange on the Internet, as well as the high-level of reach that the content potentially has makes the Internet an attractive medium for political information, particularly amongst social interest groups and parties with lower budgets.
For example, environmental or social issue groups may find the Internet an easier mechanism to increase awareness of their issues compared to traditional media outlets, such as television or newspapers, which require heavy financial investment. Due to all these factors, the Internet has the potential to take over certain traditional media of political communication such as the telephone, the television, newspapers and the radio.
Another example is OpenForum.com.au, an Australian non-for-profit eDemocracy project which invites politicians, senior public servants, academics, business people and other key stakeholders to engage in high-level policy debate.
==Benefits and disadvantages==
Contemporary technologies such as [[electronic mailing list]]s, [[peer-to-peer]] networks, [[collaborative software]], [[wiki]]s, Internet forums and [[blog]]s are clues to and early potential solutions for some aspects of e-democracy. Equally, these technologies are [[bellwether]]s of some of the issues associated with the territory, such as the inability to sustain new initiatives or protect against [[identity theft]], [[information overload]] and [[vandalism]].
Some traditional objections to direct democracy are argued to apply to e-democracy, such as the potential for [[governance]] to tend towards [[populism]] and [[demagoguery]]. More practical objections exist, not least in terms of the [[digital divide]] between those with access to the media of e-democracy (mobile phones and Internet connections) and those without, as well as the [[opportunity cost]] of expenditure on e-democracy innovations. According to Zephyr Teachout, former internet director for Howard Dean 2004 campaign, there are two types of innovations happening around internet politics: Industrialized (mobilization, volunteering and finding untapped capacity for contribution are some of the characteristics) and Democratic (distribution of power, exemplified by the rise and importance of social media, blogging, citizen journalism.)<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-07-03|url=http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=466&doc_id=157143&f_src=flffour|publisher=www.InternetEvolution.com|title=Internet Politics: Two Types of Innovation|author=Ferraro, Nicole|date=[[June 23]] [[2008]]}}</ref>
Electronic democracy can also carry the benefit of reaching out to youth, as a mechanism to increase youth voter turnout in elections and raising awareness amongst youth. With the consistent decline of [[voter turnout]] e-democracy and electronic voting mechanisms can help revert that trend. Youth, in particular, have seen a significant drop in turnout in most industrialized nations, including [[Canada]], the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. The use of electronic political participation mechanism may appear more familiar to youth, and as a result, garner more participation by youths who would otherwise find it inconvenient to vote using the more traditional methods. Electronic democracy can help improve democratic participation, reduce civic illiteracy and voter apathy and become a useful asset for political discussion, education, debate and participation.<ref>Canadian Parties in Transition, 3rd Edition. Gagnon and Tanguay (eds). Chapter 20 - Essay by Milner</ref>
==Electronic direct democracy==
Electronic direct democracy is a form of [[direct democracy]] in which the Internet and other electronic communications technologies are used to ameliorate the bureaucracy involved with [[referendum]]s. Many advocates think that also important to this notion are technological enhancements to the deliberative process. Electronic direct democracy is sometimes referred to as EDD (many other names are used for what is essentially the same concept).
EDD requires [[electronic voting]] or some way to register votes on issues electronically. As in any direct democracy, in an EDD citizens would have the right to vote on legislation, author new legislation, and recall representatives (if any representatives are preserved).
EDD as a system is not fully implemented anywhere in the world although several initiatives are currently forming. [[Ross Perot]] was for a time a prominent advocate of EDD when he advocated "electronic [[town meeting|town halls]]" during his 1992 and 1996 [[President of the United States|Presidential]] campaigns in the [[United States]]. [[Politics of Switzerland|Switzerland]], already partially governed by direct democracy, is making progress towards such a system.<ref>[http://www.swissworld.org/dvd_rom/eng/direct_democracy_2004/content/votes/e_voting.html Electronic Voting in Switzerland]</ref> Several attempts at [[open source governance]] are in nascent stages, most notably the [http://www.metagovernment.org Metagovernment] project. [[Senator On-Line]], an Australian political party running for the Senate in the [[Australian federal election, 2007|2007 federal elections]] proposes to institute an EDD system so that Australians decide which way the senators vote on each and every bill.<ref>{{cite web |title = Senator On-Line |url = http://senatoronline.com.au/ |accessdate = 2008-06-03}}</ref>
[[Liquid democracy]], or direct democracy with [[delegable proxy]], would allow citizens to choose a proxy to vote on their behalf while retaining the right to cast their own vote on legislation.<ref>[http://fc.antioch.edu/~james_green-armytage/vm/proxy.htm Proxy Proposal<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The voting and the appointment of proxies could be done electronically. The proxies could even form [[proxy chain]]s, in which if A appoints B and B appoints C, and neither A and B vote on a proposed bill but C does, C's vote will count for all three of them. Citizens could also rank their proxies in order of preference, so that if their first choice proxy fails to vote, their vote can be cast by their second-choice proxy. The topology of this system would mirror the structure of the Internet itself, in which routers may have a primary and alternate server from which to request information.{{Or|date=June 2008}}
==e-Democracy websites==
===International===
* [http://undemocracy.com/ UNdemocracy.com] - clearer access to [[United Nations]] documents and records
===Africa===
* [http://www.sokwanele.com/ Sokwanele] - mapping interference and irregularities in the 2008 [[Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008|presidential]], [[Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008|parliament and senate elections]] in [[Zimbabwe]].
===Australia===
* [http://www.openforum.com.au/ OpenForum.com.au] - Open Forum is an online collaborative think tank, which invites people from all walks of life to engage with the political process, by participating directly in policy debates with politicians, business people, academics, senior public servants, and other interested parties.
===Europe===
* [http://farmsubsidy.org/ FarmSubsidy.org] - [[European Union]] farm subsidy payment details
* [http://www.d-3.info/democracia-directa-digital/index.php Democracia Directa Digital] - Spain.
===United Kingdom===
* [[TheyWorkForYou]] — tracks speeches and activities of UK [[Member of Parliament|Members]] of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]], including presenting an [[computer accessibility|accessible]] version of [[Hansard]]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/ The Public Whip] - see voting records of UK parliament
*[http://www.votematch.co.uk/ Vote Match] - a quiz that voters can fill in to match their views with the views of the election candidates
* [http://www.writetothem.com WriteToThem.com] — facilitates contacting elected representatives at all levels of UK government (formerly FaxYourMP)
* [http://www.hearfromyourmp.com HearFromYourMP.com] — a site encouraging MPs to email their constituents.
* [http://www.election-maps.co.uk/searchByName.jsf Election Maps] - see the extent of electoral constituencies against various scales of mapping background. Users can select from a variety of administrative and electoral boundaries that can be overlaid on the mapping.
* [http://www.consultationwatch.org.uk/ Consultation Watch] - aims to raise public awareness of Government consultations, encourage people to respond to consultations and share the expertise and insight of stakeholders.
*[http://www.journalisted.com/ Journalisted] - website of the [[Media Standards Trust]] enabling monitoring of particular journalists
* [http://www.DowningStreetSays.com DowningStreetSays.com] — searchable text of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]'s Official Spokesman's briefings.
*[http://www.thegovernmentsays.com/ The Government Says] - government press release aggregator
* [http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ Downing Street e-Petitions] — a petitions website for [[10 Downing Street]].
* [http://fixmystreet.com FixMyStreet] — a map based application facilitating citizens informing their [[Local government in the United Kingdom|local authority]] of problems needing their attention, such as broken [[streetlamp]]s etc.
* [http://www.groupsnearyou.com/ GroupsNearYou] — a map-based application to find local community groups in the UK
* [http://www.whatdotheyknow.com WhatDoTheyKnow] — a site designed to help people find out (through [[Freedom of Information]] requests) what the British government (at all levels) is doing.
* [http://www.commentonthis.com/ Comment on This] - site designed to make it easier to have detailed discussions around the contents of major public documents.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
*[[Democracy (varieties)]]
*[[Demoex]] - Democracy Experiment
*[[Direct democracy]]
*[[eGovernment]]
*[[Electronic civil disobedience]]
*[[Emergent democracy]]
*[[eParticipation]]
*[[eRulemaking]]
*[[Hacktivism]]
*[[Internet activism]]
*[[Media democracy]]
*[[Online consultation]]
*[[Online deliberation]]
*[[Open politics]]
*[[Open source governance]]
*[[Parliamentary informatics]]
*[[Participatory democracy]]
*[[Radical transparency]]
*[[Second Superpower]]
*[[Smart mob]]
==External links==
*[http://www.access2democracy.org access2democracy NGO] - E-democracy: from theory to practice.
*[http://coe.int/democracy Council of Europe's work on e-Democracy] - including the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on e-Democracy IWG established in 2006
*[http://www.dowire.org Democracies Online Newswire (Do-Wire)] - Announcements from Steven Clift about e-democracy, e-government, politics online and more.
*[http://edc.unige.ch e-DC (e-Democracy Centre)] - Academic Research Centre on electronic democracy. Directed by Alexander H. Trechsel, e-DC is a joint-venture between the University of Geneva's c2d, the European University Institute in Florence and the Oxford University's OII.
*[http://www.esri.salford.ac.uk/ESRCResearchproject/index.html IPOL - a portal on Internet and politics] — Website including primary and secondary research resources related to online participation, e-democracy and the use of the Internet by parliaments and assemblies; edited by Stephen Ward, Wainer Lusoli and Rachel Gibson.
*[http://ipdi.org Institute for Politics Democracy and the Internet]
*[http://interactivedemocracy.blogspot.com Interactive Democracy] - notes on how technology can improve democracy.
*[http://www.icele.org ICELE] - International Centre of Excellence for Local eDemocracy, a UK driven international project exploring tools, products, research and learning for local e-democracy sponsored by [http://www.communities.gov.uk Communities and Local Government] Programme Director for Local e-Democracy and e-Participation, Dylan Jeffrey
*[http://publicus.net Publicus.Net] - Steven Clift's [http://publicus.net/articles.html articles], [http://www.publicus.net/articles/edemresources.html e-democracy resource links], and special section on [http://publicus.net/e-government e-government and democracy].
* [http://www.shankaranarayanan.com/financial-democracy-improved-alternative/ Financial Democracy, a form of E-Democracy]
* [http://www.e-democracy.org E-Democracy.Org]
[[Category:Deliberative methods]]
[[Category:Election technology]]
[[Category:Nonprofit technology]]
[[Category:Politics and technology]]
[[Category:Technology in society]]
[[de:E-Democracy]]
[[et:E-demokraatia]]
[[eu:E-Demokrazia]]
[[fr:Cyberdémocratie]]
[[ko:전자민주주의]]
[[it:E-democracy]]
[[he:דמוקרטיה אלקטרונית]]
[[pt:Democracia Virtual]]
[[fi:Elektroninen demokratia]]