E-Government and the EU: Democratisation through Technology?

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Author(s): Brian Lake (University of Limerick, Ireland)
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 18
Source title: Politics, Democracy and E-Government: Participation and Service Delivery
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Christopher G. Reddick (University of Texas at San Antonio, USA )
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-933-0.ch014

Keywords: Electronic Government / Government & Law / Information Science Reference

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Abstract

This chapter looks at the efficacy of The European Union’s e-government initiatives in addressing a key problem of European integration – a lack of democratic legitimacy. Citizens of the European Union witnessed endemic corruption in the EU’s governing institutions in the late 1990s. As part of a long-term project to ensure greater transparency and accessibility, the EU launched an e-government initiative, the “Information Society.” This chapter addresses the unique challenges for e-government and citizen participation at the supranational level. In a polity such as the EU, concepts of citizenship and democracy take on new dimensions. Technology as a social process is examined, and its relationship with public policy explored. It is in this context that the effectiveness of the EU’s e-government initiative is considered. As this chapter argues, the ability of e-government initiatives to increase citizen awareness does not necessarily correspond to an increase in democratic legitimacy.

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E-Government and the EU: Democratisation through Technology?

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