Orwell in Athens A Perspective on Informatization and Democracy

Informatization is playing an increasingly important role in democratic politics. For some time already, various applications of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are, more or less successfully, used by politicians, representative bodies, political parties and citizens. It is, however, reasonable to believe that informatizaton will be of paramount interest for existing actors and institutions that are involved in public decisionmaking in a democracy. The advent of telecommunication infrastructures that will enable the use of all kinds of interactive facilities, is considered to be an important step towards a more participative democratic system. Many projects have been set up that share a common feature: their ambition to renew democratic decision making structures and practises with the help of ICT. Most of these projects can be found at the level of local and/or regional government. In this book, the claim that these projects can reform or strengthen democratic politics is explored and discussed both empirically and theoretically.The research that is presented in this book makes clear that, as far as the role of informatization regarding the functioning of the democratic polity is concerned, it appears that informatization represents both opportunities and treats. Exploring these projects, both empirically and theoretically, will contribute to an informed debate and useful experiences that can guide us when entering the information society. ''The efforts of Wim van de Donk and his colleagues have resulted in a fascinating collection of essays... In any event, Orwell in Athens is a valuable contribution to the debate on electronic democracy and deserves a wide audience' - Stephen McGookin Financial Times, 12 December 1995 ''This is a good contribution to the study of the information society.' International Review of Administrative Sciences, no. 4, 1996, p. 156van de Donk, W. B. H. J. is the author of 'Orwell in Athens A Perspective on Informatization and Democracy' with ISBN 9789051992199 and ISBN 905199219X.