Reinventing the Democratic Governance Project through Information Technology? A Growing Agenda for Debate

Postindustrial societies have arrived at a moment of immense democratic and entrepreneurial opportunities that has been made possible by information technology. At the same time, however, these opportunities pose potential threats if they are not debated and planned for in consensually-legitimate wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public administration review 2003-01, Vol.63 (1), p.44-60
Main Authors: Kakabadse, Andrew, Kakabadse, Nada K., Kouzmin, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adoption of Innovations
Bureaucracy
Citizen participation
Citizenship
Communities
Community Relations
Culture
Debates
Decision making
Democracy
Direct democracy
Effects
Equal Education
Governance
Government (Administrative Body)
Information Management
Information Technology
Liberalism
Minority & ethnic groups
Opportunities
Personal Autonomy
Policy Analysis
Political debate
Political power
Politics
Public administration
Representative Democracy
Society
Sovereignty
Strategic planning
Technology
Voting
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Summary:Postindustrial societies have arrived at a moment of immense democratic and entrepreneurial opportunities that has been made possible by information technology. At the same time, however, these opportunities pose potential threats if they are not debated and planned for in consensually-legitimate ways. This article examines the current problems of representative democracy and the impact of information technology on the current and future quality of democratic governance. Four generic models of "electronic democracy" that are made possible by interactive information technologies-electronic bureaucracy, information management, populist, and civil society-are analyzed in terms of their applicability and impact. Information technology's impact on the roles, responsibilities, and accountability of citizens, elected representatives, the media, and corporations is also examined. This article proposes strategies for reinventing democratic governance, including recognizing community values, accommodating critical debate, and providing access for citizen participation in policy analysis.
ISSN:0033-3352
1540-6210
DOI:10.1111/1540-6210.00263