WHICH E-DEMOCRACY IS DESIRABLE? A VIABLE PROPOSAL
Abstract
This article wants to extract the traits that an ideal e-democracy should have, to describe a viable and effective way to implement a bottom-up form of e-democracy.
The proposal is called L'Agenda La FAcciamo NOi, (from now on L'A.L.Fa.No.), an instrument designed to realize a bottom-up form of local democracy. The instrument is a smartphone app that allows citizens to report problems they encounter in their daily lives, with a related website, which allows them to express on the priorities to be assigned to the various issues. This let any single citizen to express himself on the opportunity to put in the political agenda issues and to express his opinion on the possible actions needed to solve them. Finally I'll examine the possibility, desirability and consequences on politicians, public administrators and society of the implementation and of the use of such technology.
Keywords: e-democracy, L'A.L.Fa.No., bottom-up, referendum, referenda, political agenda, active citizenshipKeywords
References
- Norris, P. (2001). Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- McChesney, R. W., Wood, E. M., & Foster, J. B. (1998). Capitalism and the Information Age: The Political Economy of the Global Communication Revolution. New York, NY: Monthly Review Press.
- Meikle, G. (2002). Future Active: Media Activism and the Internet. Annandale, N.S.W: Pluto Press.
- Agre, P. (2002). “Real-Time Politics: The Internet and the Political Process”. The Information Society. 18, 5, 311-331.
- Wilhelm, A. G. (1999). “Virtual Sounding Boards: How Deliberative Is Online Political Discussion”. In B. N. Hague & B. D. Loader. Digital Democracy: Discourse and Decision Making In the Information Age. London, Routledge, pp. 154-178.
- Papacharissi, Z. (2002). “The Virtual Sphere: The Internet as a Public Sphere”. New Media & Society. 4, 1, 9-27.
- Rodotà, S. (2014). Il Mondo Nella Rete: Quali I Diritti, Quali I Vincoli. Roma: Laterza.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
-
Journal Section
-
Authors
Vincenzo Alfano
Publication Date
December 29, 2015
Submission Date
December 27, 2015
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2015 Volume: 1 Number: 3