RC 10 - Electronic Democracy

The 22nd World Congress of the IPSA will take place in Madrid (Spain) from 8 to 12 July 2012.

Use www.ipsa.org to submit a paper.

NEW DEADLINE ! Deadline for paper proposals and abstracts is October 17, 2011.

Panel 1. Open government

Chairs: Richard Engstrom, Duke University (USA) - richard.engstrom@duke.edu

Stéphanie Wojcik, University of Paris Est Créteil (France) – stephanie.wojcik@u-pec.fr

Calls for governments to provide open, easy-to-use and largely free-of-charge access to public data have grown in recent years - such as the 'Transparency and Open Government' programme initiated under Obama’s presidency in the US or the Public Data Corporation supported by the UK Cabinet Office (2011) while the European Commission, through the SEMIC.EU platform, is promoting the idea of Linked Government Metadata (2010).

Making public information and data more widely available is indeed thought to support democratic citizenship by increasing transparency and accountability in government, allowing individuals and groups to monitor and evaluate particular policies, services, and the performance of government in general. While little systematic research has been done on open government so far, initiatives associated with the term have generated opposing views.

This panel issue is concerned with the concrete benefits and the downsides of the various opendata initiatives worldwide. Which public policies and strategies of implementation are known? Are European initiatives adopting such strategies or are there new instruments?

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

- Surveillance, data privacy and regulations

- Transparency, accountability and civic engagement

- Production of services and public goods and changing roles of government, public authorities, business, civil society and citizens

- Technological and organizational challenges of open government

Panel 2. E democracy and deliberation

Chairs: Raphael Kies, (University of Luxembourg) - raphael.kies@uni.lu

Norbert Kersting, (University of Münster, Germany), -norbert.kersting@uni-marburg.de

Dialogical deliberative instruments are vitalizing democracy. Participatory budgeting, deliberative polls, forums and other participatory instruments are implemented . These instruments are often combined with e-participation tools. Internet conference, open space online, participatory budgeting online, e-petitions, blogs, web forums etc. are implemented to support or to substitute traditional instruments for participation. This raises the question about the quality of deliberation in the internet. The panel will try to categorize, analyze and evaluate the different tools.

Panel 3. Electronic voting re-vitalized?

Chairs: Richard Niemi, (University Rochester, USA) - niemi@rochester.edu

Josep Reniu, (University of Barcelona, Spain) - jreniu@ub.edu

Discussant: Alexander Trechsel

Electronic voting and internet voting seems to be reinvigorated. This panel discusses strategies of national and supranational institutions such as Council of Europe regarding Electronic and internet voting. New experiments in Mexico, Argentina, new trends in India etc will be presented. Latest developments in Norway in the local election will be analyzed. New experiences in Estonia, Switzerland, USA, Russia evaluated.

Panel 4. e-Revolution and Pluralism in Countries of the 2011 "Arab spring": Egypt and Tunisia

joint panel with RC 16 Socio political pluralism and RC 10 e-democracy

Chairs: Rainer Eisfeld (RC 16) (University Osnabrueck, Germany) -rainer.eisfeld@uni-osnabrueck.de

Norbert Kersting (RC 10) (University of Münster, Germany), -norbert.kersting@uni-marburg.de

A pluralist alliance of various civil society groups – workers, women, urban professionals, moderate islamists, underemployed (particularly from among the youth) – with different, sometimes overlapping, grievances, ousted the previous regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Largely mobilised via the Internet, these groups have different interests and pursue differing political projects for their countries’ post-revolutionary future. The panel will trace sources of several important Egyptian and Tunesian protest groups’ politicization and subsequent mobilisation, also attempting to spell out implications of their projects for the post-Ben Ali and post-Mubarak eras. Are there lessons to be learned for the rest of the world?

Panel 5. Scrutinizing mobilisation in networked politics

Convenor: Jorge Luis Salcedo Maldonado (Univ. Autonoma Barcelona) jorgelsalcedo@gmail.com

Chair: Marta Cantijoch Co-Chair: Mayo Fuster Morell

Discussants: Camilo Cristancho, Jorge Luis Salcedo Maldonado

Internet use has expanded the mobilisation opportunities of organised political actors (political parties, social movements, interest groups) while giving prominence to non-organised individuals or individuals organised via flexible structures or mainly online-based formats (such as online communities). Digital tools like websites, blogs or social networking sites, among others, are reshaping communicational dynamics and mobilising strategies.

This panel calls for papers aiming at expanding our knowledge on the changes in mobilisation processes that are taking place as a consequence of the spread of internet mediated communication. We invite paper proposals addressing any of the following questions: Can we characterize online mobilization as comprising considerably different processes from those used in more traditional channels? What can we learn from differences between online mobilisation strategies by different type of actors in multiple contexts? What are the factors explaining the use of new media for political mobilisation? How can mobilisation effects be assessed in terms of collective outcomes such as turnout, or individual changes in attitudes and behaviours?

Panel 6. Social media revolution

Chair: Jason Abbott (University of Louisville, Kentucky) jason.abbott@louisville.edu

Twitter and facebook are seen as the triggering instruments for the democratic protest and the transformation in North Africa. The 2011 'Arab Spring' and the “velvet revolution” are regarded as e-Revolution. But web 2.0 changed individual political participation dramatically elsewhere in the world. Social protest happened also out of Northern Africa (see UK, Greece, Germany, China etc.). Web 2.0. and E- Mobilization seem to be crucial for these new social movements? What is the relationship between socio political pluralism and Internet? What is the reaction of political parties and civil society in democratic regimes. How do authoritarian regimes react?

We encourage proposals that combine conceptual discussion and empirical analysis. We also welcome analyses of the changes occurring in the use of online methods of mobilisation across time and/or countries.

Workshop: “Net Campaigning in the Global Context: Appropriation, Invention, Transformation” Supported by the IPSA RC10

Organized by the Faculty of Political Science In partnership with DEL research network Dubrovnik, Croatia, 30 - 31 May 2011

Download Call for papers

IPSA's Research Committee 10 on Electronic Democracy and the Faculty of Political Science in partnership with DEL research network (http://www.certop.fr/DEL) announce call for papers for the upcoming IPSA Workshop on "Net campaigning in the Global Context" that will be held in Dubrovnik, Inter University Center, Croatia from 30 to 31 May 2011. The Workshop is a part of the annual Information Technology and Journalism conference organized by the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb and the Institute for New Media and E-Democracy that will take place from 1 to 3 June 2011.

Topics:

• Transformation of political communication through new media
• ‘Americanization’ of the net campaigning
• ‘Glocalisation’: global distribution and local appropriation of the net campaigning
• Contribution of the emerging democracies to the net campaigning world-wide
• Elections and the net campaigning
• Issue campaigning on the net
• E-democracy and e-engagement
• Consumer citizens and the net
• Catching up with the net generation: governments, political parties and civil society
• The role of the new media in raising support for the EU
• EU institutions and the net
• Euroscepticism and the net
• Social networks, blogs and the EU

The conference language is English.

We invite individuals from academic and practical backgrounds as well as public administration offices, public bodies, NGOs, education institutions and independent organizations, to submit their contributions.

Costs:
EUR 95 - for authors
EUR 115 - early bird rate for participants who register until March 15, 2011
EUR 135 - for participants who register after March 15, 2011

The fee includes conference entry, proceedings and social program during the conference. Pre-conference social program is to be announced.

The Proceedings will be published by the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb.

Important dates:

Submission of abstract (max 300 words): 15 March 2011
Notification of acceptance: 30 March 2011
Final paper submission (max. 10 pages): 30 April 2011
Workshop: 30 – 31 May 2011
Conference: 30 May – 3 June 2011

Submissions

Please send your submission in pdf format to milica@edemokracija.hr

All submissions are subject to a double-blind full paper review by at least 2 reviewers. To facilitate the review process, please write a separate cover sheet with the paper title and affiliation/s and omit the affiliations in the actual paper.

Participants who are not contributors (i.e. who do not propose a paper) can apply through our web site www.edemocracyinstitute.eu. Please note that the number of non contributing participants is limited so we encourage you to apply as early as possible.

For further information please visit: www.edemocracyinstitute.eu

Conference Chairs: nenad@edemokracija.hr, domagoj@edemokracija.hr

Contact Details:
Prof. dr. Nenad Prelog (president)
dr. Domagoj Bebic (secretary general)
Milica Vuckovic (coordinator)
Šibenska 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Hrvatska
t: 01 307 9113 f: 01 307 9113

Call for papers: Conference: “Direct and deliberative democracy. An intercontinental perspective”
Wednesday, March 9. - Saturday, March 12. 2011
Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS) Stellenbosch, South Africa

Is there a crisis of democracy? Globally “electoral representative democracies” are highly criticized. Voter apathy and cynicism is growing. But also “unconventional” participation is facing a crisis. New social movements often seem to become violent meaningless protest. Are there any alternatives to the “brick or ballot“?

In this conference on the one hand new forms of "dialogical deliberative instruments" such as participatory budgeting, mini publics, future search conferences, ward committees etc. are discussed on the other hand “direct democratic instruments” such as referendums and initiatives will be analysed. Both democratic channels are seen as an innovation and addition for mainstream traditional democracies. Nowadays democratic innovation seems to be generated mostly in the global South. Brazil and other countries “export” participatory instruments into the old democracies in Europe and Northern America. New “dialogical participatory instruments” such as participatory budgeting were implemented firstly in developing countries in Porto Alegre, Brazil and spread worldwide. Democratic as well as non-democratic countries such as China implement deliberative dialogical instruments. In the last decades referendums and initiatives became en vogue in some Latin American countries. In Africa plebiscites are frequently used in nation building as well as in constitutional processes. In some European countries referendums seem to boom at the local level, where more municipalities implement referendums and initiatives.

There is no in-depth comparative evaluation focusing on these developments. Evaluation criteria encompass criteria such as openness, political control and responsiveness, rationality and transparency as well as effectiveness and efficiency. What are the functions of these political engagements? Are they implemented in planning, conflict resolution? What are intended as well as unintended results? What kind of actors is involved? What are the contexts and experiences as well as the pros and cons in the different continents? The core presentations should give a continental overview. Furthermore these presentations should analyse three to four countries in detail.

Finally the idea is to bridge these two fields of direct and deliberative democracy research. Can dialogical democratic instruments and instruments of direct democracy (Initiatives and Referendums) be combined? Is it useful to combine dialogical and direct democracy? If yes, can this be institutionalized? Are the new instruments one way to reinvigorate democracies or to democratize “non democracies” from below? Or is this “invited space” of direct and deliberative democracy more a rubber stamp factory? Can marginalized groups become meaningfully involved in political decision making?

Deadline for paper proposals and abstracts (200 words) is 15 January 2011. : Prof. Norbert Kersting (Stellenbosch University) (kersting@sun.ac.za)

Papers can focus on theory of deliberative and direct democracy and on a nexus between these two. Papers on effects of deliberative and direct democracy on social movements, civic education and empowerment as well as relevant country studies (India, Brazil etc.) are highly welcome.

The conference is co-organized by Prof Norbert Kersting, Willy Brandt Chair on Transformation and Regional Integration (DAAD)- Stellenbosch University and International Political Science Association (IPSA) Research Committee 5 "Comparative Studies on Local Government and Politics”

Princeton University Press, February 2010, 256 p.
ISBN: 978-1-4008-3408-2
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8641.html

Since the 2000 presidential election, the United States has been embroiled in debates about electronic voting. Critics say the new technologies invite tampering and fraud. Advocates say they enhance the accuracy of vote counts and make casting ballots easier and ultimately foster greater political participation. Electronic Elections cuts through the media spin to assess the advantages and risks associated with different ways of casting ballots and shows how e-voting can be the future of American democracy.

Elections by nature are fraught with risk. Michael Alvarez and Thad Hall fully examine the range of past methods and the new technologies that have been created to try to minimize risk and accurately reflect the will of voters. Drawing upon a wealth of new data on how different kinds of electronic voting machines have performed in recent elections nationwide, they evaluate the security issues that have been the subject of so much media attention, and examine the impacts the new computer-based solutions is having on voter participation. Alvarez and Hall explain why the benefits of e-voting can outweigh the challenges, and they argue that media coverage of the new technologies has emphasized their problems while virtually ignoring their enormous potential for empowering more citizens to vote. The authors also offer ways to improve voting technologies and to develop more effective means of implementing and evaluating these systems.

Electronic Elections makes a case for how e-voting can work in the United States, showing why making it work right is essential to the future vibrancy of the democratic process.

R. Michael Alvarez is professor of political science at the California Institute of Technology. Thad E. Hall is associate professor of political science and research fellow at the Institute of Public and International Affairs at the University of Utah. They are the authors of Point, Click, and Vote.

Table of Contents
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii
PREFACE ix
CHAPTER 1: What This Book Is About 1
CHAPTER 2: Paper Problems, Electronic Promises 12
CHAPTER 3: Criticisms of Electronic Voting 30
CHAPTER 4: The Frame Game 50
CHAPTER 5: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back 71
CHAPTER 6: The Performance of the Machines 100
CHAPTER 7: Public Acceptance of Electronic Voting 133
CHAPTER 8: A New Paradigm for Assessing Voting Technologies 156
CHAPTER 9: Conclusion 178
NOTES 191
BIBLIOGRAPHY 207
INDEX 217

Palgrave Macmillan, March 2010, 200 p.
ISBN : 978-0-230-61921-0, ISBN10 : 0-230-61921-5
http://us.macmillan.com/promisesandlimitsofwebdeliberation

Does the increasing usage of online political forums lead to a more deliberative democracy ? This book answers to this question by presenting the evolution of the public spaces in a historical perspective, by defining and operationalizing the deliberative criteria of democracy, and by measuring and evaluating the impact ofvirtualization of the political debates under threes perspectives. It looks at the extent to which different categories of the population debate online, it looks at the categories of actors hosting online political forum, and it assesses the quality of the online political debates in different contexts. The final aim of this work is to provide a more balanced evaluation of the impact of virtualization of the political debates and to enrich the evolving deliberative theory with new findings.

Table of contents
Deliberative democracy : origins, meaning and major controversies * Deliberative democracy and its operationalization * Extension of the online political debates * Existing findings on deliberativeness of web-debates * Analysis of “radicali italiani” * Online campaign in Issy-les-Moulineaux

Biography of the author
Raphaël Kies is Researcher in Political Science at the University of Luxembourg. He is Co-founder of the E-democracy Center (Switzerland), he is member of the Réseau de Démocratie ELectronique (France) and of the ECPR standing group on Internet&Politics. In Luxembourg he is co-responsible for the national and European electoral studies, and for the introduction of innovative methods of political participation such as the voting advice application smartvote.lu and the European Citizens Consultation. He has published several articles and reports on e-democracy, local democracy, and deliberative democracy.