Description (short summary):
This paper offers an investigation of practices of eDemocracy at the local level in the United States. This case study is purposefully limited in two ways. First, investigations of e-democracy in the local level have the significant advantage of higher participation per capita since the issues addressed are quite immediate. Second, the US has one of the highest rates of internet penetration and is home to nearly 20 % of the world’s internet users. As the oldest surviving democracy, it is also confronted with many problems characteristic of most western democracies. An investigation into the practices of eDemocracy in the US, therefore, can offer many archetypal insights into how the digitalization of the relationship between citizens and governments affects the age old assumptions of democracy.

Original URL:
http://edc.unige.ch/inner.php?table=Publications&linkid=123&head=e-DC%20Working%20Papers

Number of pages:
28