E-CONSULTATION IN THE UK AND THE USA: ELECTRONIC DEMOCRACY BEYOND THE VOTE

This paper seeks to add to the empirical knowledge on the implications of ICTs for democracy, by looking at the impact of technologies on the state-citizen relationship. The research focuses on central governments in the UK and the USA, evaluating the extent to which the Internet – rather than ICTs more generally – has been used to expand consultation of citizens within the policy-making process. Through surveying the contents of government websites in January and February 2001, evaluating previous web-based consultations, and analysing government policy commitments on their own Internet presence, an assessment was made of the governments’ commitment to net-based consultation. These findings were then compared with an evaluation of the extent to which these governments are using the Internet to facilitate statecitizen interaction through other channels – such as online service provision and information dissemination. The research findings indicate that central governments in the US and UK are committed to using the Internet to facilitate interaction between state and citizen. Considerable resources and political credibility have been invested in the goal of getting government “online”. However, these commitments in practice have meant the online delivery of public services rather than the expansion of consultation. New technologies are being adopted in order to meet the needs of citizens as consumers of government services rather than to encourage participation by citizens. In other words, governments are using ICTs to make it easier for citizens to receive outputs from the state, but are not allowing citizens to play an expanded role in influencing inputs. Based on these findings and on the policies that are currently being adopted in order to expand future interaction, it is predicted that, although the state-citizen relationship will be reshaped by new technologies, it is likely to follow a consumerist model, with the democratic content of citizenship left largely unaffected. Change will centre on the electronic delivery of government services and the provision of information. The dialogical potential of the Internet will be largely underutilised.