eDemocracy: Public Online Engagement by the European Commission

The provision of governmental services and the very nature of governance changes with the ever growing influence of Information and Communication Technologies in all governmental institutions. This book is examining the design and success of the European Commission's efforts to engage the citizens, consumers and businesses in policy- and decision making, in order to improve the democratic and political outcomes. The theoretical part of this book makes the rationale clear why reforms of governmental agencies are necessary. It provides theoretical evidence on why eDemocracy improves the working processes of political and bureaucratic agencies and how best practices can facilitate such initiatives. A sound design of eDemocracy programs is imperative, in order to attract citizens and businesses to make use of the initiatives on one hand, and to maximize the potential of an engaged citizenry in politics, on the other. The three pillar model, as is developed in this book, offers a platform for such design. It stipulates governments to offer two-way communication and participation tools that promote transparency, accountability, democratic affiliation and effectiveness of political programs and policy proposals. The European Commission has introduced a single access point for citizens, consumers and businesses, in order to promote electronic democracy and to gather and store crucial information that is used in policy-making. The main initiatives are online consultations and the, so called, Feedback mechanism, accessible through the official web site of the European Union, http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice. Both tools give the interested stakeholder the possibility to express his or her view, opinion, concern or experience on various matters concerning the European Union and its institutions. Although the initiative is relatively new and evolving, success is perceptible and satisfaction increases. Nevertheless, promotion is still weak and eParticipation as well as eVoting have a long way to go before they can be truly encompassed into eDemocracy within the European Union. This book is dedicated to all citizens, consumers, politicians and those who are interested in the written topic.