Connecting Democracy

The global explosion of online activity is steadily transforming the relationship
between government and the public. The first wave of change, "e-government," enlisted the
Internet to improve management and the delivery of services. More recently, "e-democracy"
has aimed to enhance democracy itself using digital information and communication technology. One
notable example of e-democratic practice is the government-sponsored (or government-authorized)
online forum for public input on policymaking. This book investigates these "online
consultations" and their effect on democratic practice in the United States and Europe,
examining the potential of Internet-enabled policy forums to enrich democratic citizenship. The book
first situates the online consultation phenomenon in a conceptual framework that takes into account
the contemporary media environment and the flow of political communication; then offers a
multifaceted look at the experience of online consultation participants in the United States, the
United Kingdom, and France; and finally explores the legal architecture of U.S. and E. U. online
consultation. As the contributors make clear, online consultations are not simply dialogues between
citizens and government but constitute networked communications involving citizens, government,
technicians, civil society organizations, and the media. The topics examined are especially relevant
today, in light of the Obama administration's innovations in online citizen involvement.