The Barriers to e-Democracy

1. The Barriers to e-Democracy Lawrence Pratchett WSIS Parallel event From here to e-democracy: promoting e-participation 17th November 2005

2. Democracy and e-democracy e-Democracy is only relevant in so far as it enhances democracy: • Democracy comprises competing values/principles • Democracy functions through institutions which embed power and legitimacy • Democracy is a process, not an end

3. E-Democracy and the State The value of e-democracy is that it can: • Help clarify underyling values • Help strengthen or change institutions • Contribute to the continuous renewal of democracy The state can use e-democracy to create incentives for democratic developments in particular directions – but there are barriers to achieving this…

4. Barriers to e-democracy • Resources – finance, technological infrastructure, skills etc • Limited understanding of democracy among actors • Competing democratic priorities and values • Cultural resistance • Citizens (digital divide, legitimacy etc) e-Democracy is implicated in the recent participatory turn in democracy – but can it engage citizens?

5. Citizens participate when they: C an do L ike to E nabled to A sked to R esponded to E-Democracy initiatives need to focus on: - Resources and skills building - Strengthening community ties - Building civic infrastructure - Active promotion of engagement - Developing feedback Citizen participation is CLEAR

6. Conclusions For e-democracy to be effective it must avoid seeking simply to address specific problems (e.g. the access problem) Instead it must become part of a holistic approach to renewing democracy But remember: • As with all attempts at institutional reform it will have unintended consequences • It will need to be continuously revisited

7. Thank you Dr Lawrence Pratchett lap@dmu.ac.uk www.dmu.ac.uk/lgru