It is a term of two components; ‘e’, which
signifies the online component, and ‘democracy’, which refers to a theory and
system of governance. While this may, at first glance, appear to be an obvious
statement to make, it in fact underpins the complexity of the concept. E-democracy
is a relatively new notion and remains somewhat fluid due to its fundamental
relationship with technology and the internet – fields that are themselves
ever-changing, and somewhat unpredictably so. Any outline of precisely what constitutes
the ‘e’ of e-democracy is thus at risk of obsolescence within a short
time-frame. Moreover, ‘democracy’ is a broad category under which a number of
theories can be subsumed. Though e-democracy, amongst the relevant literature,
is predominantly linked with and informed by deliberative conceptions of democracy, it can also be linked with more liberal-individualist
or pluralist approaches
The definition of e-democracy has also been muddled by haphazard discussion of the related but distinct term of ‘e-government’. E-democracy and e-government are not synonymous; in fact, it would be more appropriate to consider e-government as part of e-democracy, which is a much broader and encompassing collection of ideas. E-government, as Chadwick and May explicate, is principally concerned with “the ‘efficient’ delivery of government information to citizens” and, despite the opening up of some public service information, state control remains as “the defining logic.” It therefore maintains the circumstances of the offline world, where government-citizen interaction is hierarchical and top-down in nature. In contrast, e-democracy builds upon e-government initiatives such as online service delivery and open access to information, incorporating civic engagement and civic education.
The definition of e-democracy has also been muddled by haphazard discussion of the related but distinct term of ‘e-government’. E-democracy and e-government are not synonymous; in fact, it would be more appropriate to consider e-government as part of e-democracy, which is a much broader and encompassing collection of ideas. E-government, as Chadwick and May explicate, is principally concerned with “the ‘efficient’ delivery of government information to citizens” and, despite the opening up of some public service information, state control remains as “the defining logic.” It therefore maintains the circumstances of the offline world, where government-citizen interaction is hierarchical and top-down in nature. In contrast, e-democracy builds upon e-government initiatives such as online service delivery and open access to information, incorporating civic engagement and civic education.
Components
Short-term andLong-term
E-Democracy can firstly be broken down in to two components – the ‘tactical’ or short-term, and the ‘strategic’ or long-term. Short-term measures are those that are predominantly focused with significant, but somewhat conservative changes. In effect, they are making slight alterations at the fringe, rather than introducing the more pervasive and fundamental changes that constitute the long-term or strategic aspects of e-democracy. E-Government initiatives are best categorized under the short-term banner; E-Government is largely perpetuating the top-down nature of government-citizen interaction, albeit improving the quality of that interaction quite substantially.
E-Government
E-Government, unlike e-democracy, is somewhat simple to define. The United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration provide a concise explanation – albeit with some outdated phrasing – describing e-Government as “utilizing the Internet and World Wide Web for delivering government services and information to citizens.” Rachel Silcock provides a more expansive and accurate description, contending that e-Government is the “use of technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, business partners and employees.” Moreover, it “has the power to create a new mode of public service where all public organizations deliver a modernized, integrated and seamless service for their citizens.” That is, in the area of open governance and the associated free and accessible distribution of government data and public service information (PSI).
E-government is a critical aspect of e-democracy, providing a foundation through open government and transparency initiatives towards a more informed, active citizenry that is more capable of holding its public officials to account.
E-Democracy can firstly be broken down in to two components – the ‘tactical’ or short-term, and the ‘strategic’ or long-term. Short-term measures are those that are predominantly focused with significant, but somewhat conservative changes. In effect, they are making slight alterations at the fringe, rather than introducing the more pervasive and fundamental changes that constitute the long-term or strategic aspects of e-democracy. E-Government initiatives are best categorized under the short-term banner; E-Government is largely perpetuating the top-down nature of government-citizen interaction, albeit improving the quality of that interaction quite substantially.
E-Government
E-Government, unlike e-democracy, is somewhat simple to define. The United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration provide a concise explanation – albeit with some outdated phrasing – describing e-Government as “utilizing the Internet and World Wide Web for delivering government services and information to citizens.” Rachel Silcock provides a more expansive and accurate description, contending that e-Government is the “use of technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, business partners and employees.” Moreover, it “has the power to create a new mode of public service where all public organizations deliver a modernized, integrated and seamless service for their citizens.” That is, in the area of open governance and the associated free and accessible distribution of government data and public service information (PSI).
E-government is a critical aspect of e-democracy, providing a foundation through open government and transparency initiatives towards a more informed, active citizenry that is more capable of holding its public officials to account.
By James Catherine
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