Democratic governance and new technology: technologically mediated innovations in political practice in Western Europe

Abstract:

Drawing on case studies from Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK, this volume discusses new information and communication technologies in the late 1990s, exploring their role in the restructuring of Western democratic political systems. The argument is put that they play an important role in the process of restructuring and redefining basic relations within the political systems of Western democracies. Through a series of case studies, a number of technologically mediated innovations in political practices are analysed in relation to the editors' four models of democracy: consumer, demo-elitist, neo-republican and cyber. The subject of the book is set against the background of two current debates The first is the debate on 'electronic democracy', the second the debate on the so-called 'crises of democracy' in Western countries.

Following an introduction exploring new technology and democracy, the book is divided into three parts. Part one includes two chapters looking at the nature of the problem: Technology and social change: the path between technological determinism, social constructivism and new institutionalism; and Modelling electronic democracy: towards democratic discourses for an information age. Part two includes a series of case studies, covering political parties in Denmark and the UK; political websites during elections in the Netherlands; the citizen card debate in Denmark; the closed circuit television revolution in the UK; electronic service delivery and democracy; transparency, autonomy and democracy in an information age; and virtual communities on the Internet. The concluding part assesses the evidence for new technology and democratic renewal and reflects on models of democracy given the changing nature of citizenship in the information society.

This book will be of interest to political scientists interested in recent debates surrounding the issues of technology, democracy and legitimacy.