eDemocracy: Small is Beautiful

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e-DemocracySmall is Beautiful?
X
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Defining democracy.
• Tools.
• Applications the theory.
• A touch of reality.
• e-Democracy in action.
• Reflections.

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Introduction
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An Information Systems Perspective

• Vast outpouring on the web.
• Limited number of serious academic contributions
  to date.
• Issues in the literature
• Technological
• Social
• Political
• Ethical.
• Wide scope.

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Three Conjectures

• There are inherent limits to e-Democracy.
• Consequently
• e-Democracy is more likely to be effective in
  local than central government
• and possibly
• This may lead to a shift in the nature of
  democratic structures.

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e-Government and e-Democracy
Citizens
e-Government
Transacting
Involving
Informing
e-Democracy
Customers/Clients
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e-Government and e-Democracy
e-Government
Many Initiatives
Many Initiatives
Central Government
Local Government
Few Meaningful Initiatives
Several Initiatives
e-Democracy
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Defining Democracy
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Defining Democracy
government of the people, by the people for the
people
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Greek Democracy

• Cleisthenes.
• Nature.
• An idealised model.
• Limits.
• Myths.

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Characteristics of Democracy

• Authority (Kratos) derived from the citizen body
  (the Demos).
• Consultation.
• Participation.
• Representation.
• Accountability.
• The civil society.

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Key Democratic Concepts

• Value of the individual.
• Basic rights
• Freedom of expression
• Freedom of assembly
• Right to organise
• Freedom from arbitrary arrest
• Freedom of movement
• Freedom of religion
• Privacy.
• Independent judiciary.
• Separation of powers.
• Protection of rights of minorities.

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Direct versus Representative
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Representative Democracy

• Representative democracy
• Free and fair elections
• Regular elections
• Real and effective choice at elections
• Right to campaign against the government
• Right of elected body to legislate
• Right of elected body to oppose the government.
• Levels of representation.
• Structures.
• Implications for e-democracy.

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Direct Democracy

• Community involvement in...
• Formulation of policy
• Legislation.
• Community decision making.
• A right to initiate debate.
• Mediation.
• Protection of minorities.
• Common mechanisms
• Referenda
• Plebiscites
• Initiatives.

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A Spectrum of Options
Direct
Representative
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Democratic Models?
Democracy is a complicated animal
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e-Democracy Tools
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e-Democracy The Challenge
How might we use developments information and
communications technology to support and enhance
democracy?
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The ICT Toolkit (1)

• Internetworking
• The Internet
• Extranets
• Intranets
• Webs of all sorts
• e-Mail
• Broadcasting
• Narrowcasting
• Kiosks
• WAP etc. etc. etc..

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The ICT Toolkit (2)

• Other tools
• Plain old computer systems
• Private networks
• Plain old telephone service
• Television and radio
• Interactive digital television
• Decision/groupware technology
• Security technology
• Data mining
• Artificial intelligence.

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e-Democracy Applications
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Applications One View
As direct democracy takes root, the American
voter will become more involved and active. We
dont have to wait anymore for the next election
to express our view while the Congress makes
decisions for us. We dont have to wait for a
call from a pollster to speak our piece. We are
going to take the Internet and tell our
representatives what to do whenever we damn well
feel like it. D. Morris, Vote.com
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Applications Some Possibilities

• Electronic voting.
• On-line voting.
• On-line referenda.
• Broadcasting of meetings of elected
  representatives.
• Publication of information on the web.
• Representations via the web/e-mail.
• e-Lobbying.
• Discussion forums with public servants/politicians
  .
• Public discussion forums.
• Local citizen on-line initiatives.
• On-line opinion polling.
• On-line consultation.
• On-line/interactive/communal decision making.

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e-Democracy and Direct Democracy
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Benefits of e- (Direct) Democracy?

• Legitimation.
• Decisions brought closer to the people.
• Public decisions publicly made.
• The popular will accurately expressed.
• Elimination of apathy.
• Elimination of alienation.
• Maximisation of the potential of the citizen
• but
• Inability of citizens to made sound judgements?
• Weakened central authority?
• Dangers to minorities?
• Lack of clear leadership?
• Paralysis?

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A Cynical View
Democracy substitutes election by the
incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt
few.
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A Four Way Classification

• Technologies which
• Automate
• Save effort
• Improve accuracy
• Inform
• Inform electorate
• Lobby politicians.
• Transform
• Change the nature of democracy
• Radically enhance democratic structures.
• Scale
• Enable certain processes
• Increase frequency.

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A Four Way Classification
 
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A Touch of Reality
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Some Practical Problems

• Access limits.
• Security concerns.
• Social constraints.
• Potential abuses.
• An example Issues in referenda.

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Residential Access Mixed Fortunes

• Technology Availability
• Dial up land line More or less universal and
  metered.
• Leased line Available, but expensive.
• ISDN Available, but slow and metered.
• Digital Subscriber Line Limited availability as
  yet.
• Cable modem Patchy and quality varies.
• Microwave Limited by topography. Health
• concerns.
• Wireless LAN Still settling down.
• Satellite Available, but limited take-up.
• Mesh Radio Not yet in the frame.
• FTTN (Fibre to the neighbourhood) Limited
  availability.

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Access Broadband Penetration
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Security Vote Early and Often
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Social Issues Greater Gulfs
Educated Uneducated Young
Old Affluent Poor Urban
Rural
Will e- simply add to inequity?
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e-Lobbying A Fearful Symmetry
e-lobbying
e-Campaigning
Citizen
Representative
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Abusing the System
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An Example Instant Referenda?

• A seductive idea.
• Complications
• How often?
• Is it mandatory?
• Who is entitled to call one?
• Under what circumstances?
• Is it binding?
• Issue complexity and wording?
• The Michael Rimmer effect.
• Funding the McKenna judgement.
• Asymmetrical influence.
• Inertia.

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e-Democracy Three Examples
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The Minnesota e-Democracy Project
www.e-democracy.org
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The Minnesota e-Democracy Project

• Founded 1994.
• Not-for-profit private organisation.
• On-line public spaces
• Issue areas
• Located areas
• Election areas
• Voter registration on-line
• Links to parties and candidates
• Political announcements
• Municipal announcements.
• On-line public commons.
• Discussion groups.
• Plenty of literature on-line.

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Barcelona Municipal Administration
www.bcn.es
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Barcelona Municipal Government

• Management areas
• Social welfare and education
• Friendly city and youth
• Business and consumers
• Territorial balance and city planning
• Finance and infrastructures
• Environment and city services
• Mobility and security
• Employment and economic promotion
• Land policy and housing
• Cultural policy.
• By district.
• Citizens and students own suggestions.

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Barcelona Municipal Government

• Making e-democracy work
• Each month assigned a topic and district.
• Two months in advance prepare a presentation on
  the topic.
• Prepare a programme for each month how issue will
  be presented and discussed.
• One month in advance, publicise issue. Plan how
  to gather data, views.
• Meetings, debates, discussions held.
• Controller consolidates information, views
  gathered and reports to Commissioner.
• Government consolidates views from different
  districts on different topics.
• Work required.

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Barcelona Cyber Participation

• Voting only.
• Contributing
• Ideas
• Opinions
• Suggestions about issue being addressed
• Discussion with other citizens.
• Discussion with experts
• Within the municipal area
• From outside.
• Discussion with municipal officials
• Specialised personnel
• Political officials.

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Ireland National!
www.richardbruton.net
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Ireland - Local
www.meath.ie
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e-Democracy Reflections
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The Four Myths of e-Democracy?(Levine)

• Convenience will improve participation.
• The public needs more information.
• The Internet is a large town meeting.
• Without power brokers, democracy will flourish.

National or local?
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Small is e-Democratic?

• Major opportunities
• Information
• Consultation
• On-line debate and discussion
• Less promising/more problematic
• On-line voting
• On-line referenda
• On-line lobbying
• Interactive decision making
• But..
• Size does matter
• Some options unworkable at a national level
• but could work at local or community level.

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Practical Realities?
Contribution
Community networking
High
Public information
Public discussion forums
Consultation with officials
On-line consultation
On-line polling
Local extranets
Electronic polling booths
On-line decision making
Representations to politicians
Broadcast
On-line voting
Low
Streamed broadcast
On-line referenda
Now
Then
Time
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Concluding Conjectures

• e-Democracy holds out considerable promise, but
• the possibilities are often oversold.
• There are short to medium term problems which can
  be surmounted with effort.
• There are longer term social problems which may
  be less tractable.
• It is likely to work best on a small scale.
• If e-Democracy is to happen, local government and
  community is where it can and should happen first
• Should this happen, what might it mean for the
  nexus of power in the longer term?

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Small is e-Democratic?
All politics is local