26 April 2004

E-Democracy and the Resurgence of Democracy

By Thomas B Riley, Executive Director and Chair, Commonwealth Centre for Electronic Governance and Cathia Gilbert, Chief Operating Officer, Commonwealth Centre for Electronic Governance

On February 12-13, 2004, the eGov Unit of the European Commission's Information Society Directorate-General held a seminar on e-Democracy in Brussels attended by over 250 experts and practitioners from across the European Union and worldwide. The event's purpose was to bring together interested parties to assess the current state of e-Democracy, how it is being practiced and the future implications, with the goal of determining what research is needed to move the issue forward. The focus of the seminar was how democracy could be reinforced and strengthened through good policies, effective legislation, wide citizen participation, cooperation between governments, legislative assemblies and outside groups, such as NGOs and the citizen at large, together with information and communication technologies.

During the two-day proceedings it was stressed that e-Democracy can be a significant tool to bring people back into the political process and assist in resolving complex issues by drawing on wide portions of the citizenry in respective countries and throughout the European Union. Other results of good e-Democracy practices are that it brings greater accountability and transparency to government departments and can also contribute to rebuilding citizen trust in government.

The seminar dealt with two streams: e-Voting and e-Participation - very separate but related topics with the primary goal of engaging the citizen in the democratic process and the process of government. Each of these goals is worthy in themselves, but it has become clear that countries are at a nascent stage of development in this recent phenomenon of e-Democracy. Some smaller jurisdictions have been quite successful in engaging many citizens in online deliberations, often due to particular officials who have administrative and political support to enact such programs.

This seminar recognised that there was much to be done to re-engage citizens into the online democratic process but that there were many tools and policies available to reach these goals.

The Internet has created new forms of communications and information sharing, resulting in global citizens who want to be more engaged in the affairs of government. However, at the same instance, there are far more people who use the Internet for everything from e-Commerce, to online shopping, information sharing, file sharing, chatting and a host of other activities that rarely involve government or the political process. This seminar recognised that there was much to be done to re-engage citizens into the online democratic process but that there were many tools and policies available to reach these goals.

One question raised, at different points during the proceedings, was whether or not e-Democracy will change the nature of democracy itself and how would this be accomplished. There was a consensus that the goals of e-Democracy will not be met by any one particular strata of society, though many thought that the process of e-Democracy should be guided and driven by legislatures as, in the tradition of representative democracy, these bodies are the drivers of democracy.

The question of engaging large numbers of people in either e-Voting or e-Participation was a central issue to all of the discussions and plans about the future of e-Democracy. Any process that seeks to engage the citizenry, whether it is e-Voting or e-Participation in a consultation, must ensure that those who are not online are included in the process, or, if they do not wish to be part of the process, have the opportunity to do so when he/she chooses.

Central to all the debates was how to get the citizen involved. This is not just a matter of being online, but more a question of creating different comfort levels for the citizen to participate.

Central to all the debates was how to get the citizen involved. This is not just a matter of being online, or having a consultation in process or easily available on a website, but more a question of creating different comfort levels for the citizen to participate. This can range from simple yes or no responses to creating specific spaces for particular questions enabling citizens to answer within their knowledge and comfort level. Sometimes experts and professionals forget that most people do not begin to have their level of expertise. However, many people do have views, not just opinions, on important national and international issues of the day or on issues that impact their daily lives. One participant from a government ministry stated that it was important to ensure that someone is designated to summarise and consolidate the findings of the online consultations which are then published on the government agency website and, in some cases, for large consultations published in print.

The procedures are important and the publishing of the results is equally so, as it acknowledges that the public consultation was useful for that agency and not just another report to be tucked away in a drawer or a database. A universal trait of online participation is that citizens expect trust and transparency from their governments when they engage in online deliberations.

There are hundreds of deliberations evolving online that are outside government or might deal with government policies, programs and issues but discuss them in the context of the forum in which they are participating. Interest groups, associations, public interest groups, research foundations and a host of other organisations are all part of this democratic process. These emerging groups increasingly see themselves as partners and participants in the process of democracy, but not necessarily part of the elected bodies or government departments and although , governments essentially drive the democratic agenda, this group of players are an important part of the changing nature of the political process and the growth of e-Democracy. This continues to be a fluid subject and the role of outside groups is an important phenomenon of which governments are beginning to take cognisance.

For governments to foster a new political culture and engage the wider citizenry in the democratic process, considerable resources will be needed. Presentations at the seminar on e-Consultations made the case for the importance of political leadership and support from the higher echelons of government departments and agencies. But, that is only the beginning. Beyond the political will, significant action will be needed to widen the e-Democracy sphere to encompass a broad swathe of society. Such a development will have to rely on:

	·	An assessment of what is currently being done,
	·	An analysis of how current policies, practices and technology tools can be improved
	·	Research as to the views of the public on e-Democracy
	·	How to embrace more professionals into the e-Democracy sphere, and
	·	Methodologies as to how policies and technology tools can be developed to make the citizen a partner in the process.

For e-Consultations to work it is important to have trust in the citizen, allow a wide range of comments and also ensure anonymity when needed. This is often required because the citizen might be disclosing personal information, might feel more secure imparting views in an anonymous setting, might need anonymity for professional reasons and might be more frank in stating views and opinions.

One key question that continues to be debated: If Parliament is to lead and drive the e-Democracy movement how will this be accomplished?

Finally, one key question that continues to be debated: If Parliament is to lead and drive the e-Democracy movement how will this be accomplished? Some have suggested that there should be oversight committees that review budgets, strategies and programs on e-Government and e-Democracy. But the development of the e-Democracy world will need to be beyond national and local parliaments and extended to international bodies. The European Commission might consider partnering with organisations such as the OECD and the United Nations, on developing international e-Democracy protocols. Both of these organizations have done work in this subject but they are only a beginning. As international organisations and the European Commission have been leaders in a number of issues such as improving and spreading democracy, human rights, the environment, freedom of information, international law, and many other important matters that have improved world conditions, it would be appropriate that partnerships be formed for the promotion and development of e-Democracy.

The full Report can be found at: http://www.electronicgov.net/pubs/research_papers/index.shtml

Presentations from the seminar and their final Report may be found on the eGov Unit web site at: http://europa.eu.int/egovernment

Other articles by Thomas Riley:
- eGovernance to eDemocracy: Examining the Evolution
- Security Laws and Privacy: Striking the Balance [Part 2]
- Security Laws and Privacy: Striking the Balance [Part 1]
- An Overview of the Knowledge Economy
- eDemocracy: An Evolution in Progress
- Definining E-Government and E-Governance: Staying the Course
- The Role of Information in eGovernment Implementation
- Change Management and the Relationship to eGovernment
- Privacy Trends: Meeting New Demands
- eDemocracy in a Changing World

Thomas Riley is the co-Founder, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Centre for Electronic Governance, a think-tank set up under a Commonwealth Secretariat programme in London. He is also the President of Riley Information Services, a consultant and advisor specialising in national and international IT policy development, and a Visiting Professor of Law and Technology at the University of Glasgow. For further information he can be contacted at Tom@Rileyis.com