Electronic Democracy in Europe
This book...
...is one of the first academic books in the field of e-democracy and e-participation with a specific focus on European politics and institutions,
...brings together three core dimensions of e-democracy (e-public, e-participation and e-voting) and discusses their theoretical and practical implications,
...provides a concise overview of the main currents of the contemporary academic debate on internet and democracy, and
...develops valuable policy recommendations for leaders in European politics and institutions.
This edited book is the first of its kind to systematically address the intersection of e-democracy and European politics. It contributes to an improved understanding of the role that new media technologies play in European politics and the potential impact that Internet-based political participation processes may have on modern-day representative democracy in Europe. A unique, holistic approach is taken to examine e- democracy’s current state and prospects in Europe from three, partially overlapping and interlocking perspectives: e-public, e-participation and e-voting. The authors provide both theory-inspired reflections on e-democracy’s contribution to the formation of the European public sphere, as well as rich empirical analyses of contemporary e-participation phenomena such as the European Citizens’ Initiative or e-voting practices in Estonia. Based on the presented findings, the concluding chapter combines a prospective outlook with recommendations for future paths towards meaningful integration of e-democracy in European politics and governance.
