Political Functions of E-Democracy

Sun Dizhong School of Adult Education

Changchun Taxation College Changchun, P.R.China

zh9701@126.com

Abstract—Electronic democracy is a new democracy form taking advanced information and communication technology, network and relevant technologies as the operation platform, direct democracy as development trend, taking citizens’ partaking in democratic operation procedures collectively, initiatively and practically such as democratic decision-making and democratic election as typical feature. Political democratization trend, abuse of traditional democracy i.e. democratic representative system, citizens’ desire of partaking in political affairs, development of social economy, advanced information and communication technologies are main reasons for development of electronic democracy. In modern political life, electronic democracy plays a role in supplying necessary information, training citizens’ participation skills, inspiring citizens’ democratic participation enthusiasm, improving citizens’ political participation, enhancing legality of government and improving political decision-making, the development of electronic democracy supplies the growth space for direct democracy.

Keywords-e-democracy; political funct; political participation

I. INTRODUCTION People appreciate and admire the direct democratic

regime in ancient Greece, but, the democracy established based on victory of anti-feudalism battle still makes democratic representative system the main form. This kind of democratic system dates from the era when traffic and communication contacts are very difficult and time-consuming, “democratic system can’t make all citizens capable of partaking in decision-making for significant matters due to the limitation of traffic and communication conditions, hence, electing representatives to partake in such activities becomes the rational behavior”. With the progress of science and technology, the modern information system brought by informationization not only supplies convenience for people to obtain information, but also supplies possibility for people to express their wills. The emergence and expansion of network not only integrates science and technology, but also connects human’s groups, organizations and culture, which largely extends space-time domain of human’s survival and development, thus the “Electronic Democracy” emerges as the time require. Although it is impossible to make electronic democracy replace the traditional democratic representative system completely, it is playing a large political role as a new democratic form.

II. WHY DID ELECTRONIC DEMOCRACY EMERGE

A. Abuse of indirect democracy There have been two basic democracy forms which are

direct democracy and indirect democracy since democracy emerged until now. Direct democracy means people partake in political activities, public affairs management and determination directly; indirect democracy means democratic representative system which is making people elect their own deputies to represent people to execute state power and manage social public affairs. The democratic representative system in modern society is indirect democracy. In the history of human society, people have expected and pursued direct democracy all the time. Nevertheless, the state can only adopt the combination of direct and indirect democracy due to the limitation of reality. Moreover, indirect democracy is in dominant position. In recent time, this kind of democracy is generally called indirect democracy. Such democracy indeed has its abuse which is mainly embodied as:

Firstly, indirect democracy lies on meritocracy and excludes people outside the politics. Democratic representative system is the outcome of industrial society. The organization structure, life style, technological means and relevant concept in industrial society decide the basic features of democratic representative system. The important feature of indirect democracy is once the deputies are elected, they represent people to execute rights independently and make the decision for most of the public affairs, people is banned from entering the council chamber. People have the opportunity to choose the parliament members and government officers only in the next election. Hence, people only have the democracy of choosing representatives and don’t have democracy of partaking in the decision-making of public affairs. Although democratic representative system has created the unprecedented prospect in western countries in political practice since the recent time, its abuse and limitation are obvious.

Secondly, the class legislation emerges in the interim of indirect democracy. The so-called class legislation means individuals or classes which grab power in parliament or government draft laws or make decisions only according to their or the class requirement regardless of the universal benefits of the society. Once one person or the persons in the same class find they have power, this person’s individual benefits or this class’s exclusive benefits will become more important in their hearts. One persons or a class especially the

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persons who grab the power always care about their self-interest, which further facilitates pursuit of their self-interest. Even the pauper class can be corrupted by power like other classes and they may only care about their own interests. The democracy ruled by the bulk of people will also be in the danger of class legislation. “Being the same as other government forms, the greatest danger of democracy system lies in hierarch’s harmful interests, which is the class legislation danger; It is the ruling danger aimed at realizing (whether the interests is realized or not) immediate interests of ruling class and damaging all people’s benefits for ever”. Two typical reflections of class legislation are: minority’s privilege and majority’s tyranny. Whichever it may be, the power dissimilation and abuse under the indirect democracy form are inevitable. The representatives can’t represent all of citizens truly, they can only represent people in form and they represent themselves essentially.

B. Citizens’ Political Participation Desire Democracy roots in human nature, however, citizens of

western countries lost interest in traditional democratic representative system from late 1970s to early 1980s. Generally, only about 50% citizens partake in voting, most of people believe democratic representative system is only meaningful for elected persons, for electors, these deputies can’t stand for their benefits ultimately. Electors often feel they are passed into silence after the election. The so-called democratic power becomes strange to them again. Many people are dissatisfied with several representatives’ making decisions for them, they hope they can partake in political decision-making to draft by themselves or actually affect the public policies having direct or indirect interest relationship with them. The famous scholar Toftler puts forward in “The Third Wave” that democratic representative system is actually the confirmation for unequal industrial technology and it is the counterfeit like crying wine and selling vinegar. Hence, he believes an lasting battle shall be waged to thoroughly rectify even destroy US Congress…; House of Lords and House of Commons of UK, House of Representatives of France, Parliament of Germany, Japan Congress…”to replace with democracy of universal participation. Toftler’s opinion represents such a kind of tendency which is the transformation for democratic representative system has been on the agenda.

There is no denying, democratic representative system is the main democratic form in recent time, most of countries in modern time have to adopt democratic representative system for they don’t have the condition of executing direct democracy. Although there have been over 200 year history for democratic representative system, people have never stopped pursuing direct democracy which is the most true, pure and advanced democracy. People can rule themselves directly under the direct democracy, with no need of using agency or representatives, which mostly conforms to citizens’ original idea. People’s pursuit and aspiration on direct democracy root in maintenance for sovereignty instead of love for politics and their ambition. Rousseau debates that sovereignty can’t be represented just as it can’t be transferred; sovereignty is consisted of public will essentially, while the will can’t be represented absolutely; it can only be the same

will or be another will and can’t be something between the two. Hence, people’s councilors are not and can’t be people’s representatives, they are only people’s clerks; they can’t make any decisions. Rousseau believes people are free only when electing members of congress, once they are elected, people become slaves and lose freedom. Hence, only when all people partake in politics directly, they can be free in real sense. People deeply yearn for partaking in political decision making directly due to their dual-consideration of freedom and security. The electronic democracy featured by network communication just caters for such requirement.

C. Emergence of Newwork Tecnology Develops a New Chananl for People’s Political Participation

Thomas. Jefferson ever pointed out precisely that information is the democratic currency. With the development of information technology, spreading of information breaks limitation of time and space. Especially the development and popularity of Internet enable people to obtain kinds of information, including political information timely and conveniently, which supplies a kind of rapid and cheap channel for citizens’ political participation. Just as the famous electronic democracy expert and leader Steven. Clift says, “Internet can improve democracy course, increase the opportunities of communication between individuals and communities and government as well as seek for the input from community for government”. Appearance of network technology can supply opportunities for citizens to enable them to partake in discussion at any time, this kind of participation is not limited by geographic and physical conditions and is good for promoting effective utilization of information and promotes information openness of “organizations” which can’t include all individuals previously. This proposition can be understood in such way that “all great changes in information technologies including the changes in printing and TV are ultimately the great and often unexpected changes in politics. Internet becomes flowing and omnipresent media, which will bring change for itself, to be exact, this kind of change is not clear, but the earliest network dreamer alleged that Internet will create huge strength i.e. Internet will transfer political strength from political elites to civilians”.

American scholar Thomas. Friedman believes that information technology makes all places, corners and different classes of society worldwide be equal in qualification and opportunities for obtaining the latest information, there will not be inequality of opportunity of “foresight and vision” and “behind the times” in era of transmitting government documents level by level. In traditional democratic practice, democratic operation often needs high costs and good quality such as time, organizations, knowledge, skills, reputation, etc. The individuals or classes possessing these conditions have virtual advantages, while common people often lose the political participation opportunities due to high threshold and other obstacles. Under the current network conditions, people can obtain all government information cheaply with no need to go outside. Meanwhile, they can transfer their own desire, demands, opinions and claims to government and negotiate with government regarding some affairs.

III. POSITIVE ROLE OF ELECTRONIC DEMOCRACY The features of electronic democracy can be briefly

generalized as being operated easily, convenient, rapid and cheap, with sovereignty for citizens as basic concept, advanced information, communication and network technologies as information carrier and operation platform; with citizens’ partaking in democratic operation procedure actually and comprehensively as target. These features of electronic democracy enable it to have incomparable advantages and functions comparing with democratic representative system operation.

A. Electronic Democracy Can Improve People’s Political Participation Level

First, provide necessary information. People can obtain necessary information in their political participation course for emergence of electronic democracy breaks the situation that information is controlled and utilized by minorities. Political participation with required information lacked seriously can be compared to the participation of drawing a conclusion from incomplete data. One of the features of electronic democracy is providing adequate political information for people in low-cost, convenient and rapid manner. For example, since the e-government emerged, people can know what the government has done, what the government is doing, what the government will do and how to do, etc, through government website. People can decide the items, scope and manners of their own participation only when they understand these matters. Under the modern network technology conditions, people can also conduct information communication and problem discussion on Internet, which is the important manner for spreading information. Moreover, communication and discussion enable people to have deeper understanding and cognition for all political decision making, which lays a foundation for their future political participation.

Second, Train citizens’ participation skills. For democratic operation manner of traditional democratic representative system, citizens’ executing of democratic rights mainly reflects in election. As for most of people, democracy is democracy of voting, i.e. the democracy of electing representatives or government officer. In fact, democracy not only refers to democracy of election (ballot), but also includes democracy of negotiation. This kind of democracy type can be traced back to ancient Greece city-state era. In the city-state, citizens step into street to talk with each other and debate, which makes public decision making more suitable for most people’s interests. By negotiating the democratic decision making, citizens’ knowledge and foresights which can’t be spoken out can be educed through mutual conversation among participation. Moreover, some false faith of citizens can be abandoned. Negotiation is a study process, rational decision making establishment course and rational communication process. Study in negotiation, centripetal force and cohesiveness of community are enhanced in study. US scholar Michelmann defines the dialogue in theory as: “dialogue means a kind of attitude of treating social cooperation, a kind of open attitude, which allows people to accept other persons’ and one’s own requirements through argumentation. The interlanguage is the equal exchange of opinions-including participants’ delivering

their own opinions for their respected benefits.” [3]Negotiation is a democratic course as well as a democratic principle. The negotiation must be impenetrated into the democratic procedure instead of imposing a person’s value on another person, the common consensus of decision-making can be reached only through exchange, survey and justification of value by closing together from communication rationality to democratic pluralism. One person can conduct the normal communication with other persons only after adequately demonstrating his/her own requirement is justifiable and persuading other persons to believe his/her own behaviors conform to social common criterion. Hence, the other party’s benefits must be considered enough and other persons’ requirements must be referenced in the common sense consisted by dialogue. The things which each person wants to obtain can be understood again in explanation through equal free negotiation and debate.

B. Electronic Democracy Is Good for Enhancing Government Legality

The so-called government legality is government obtains recognition, recognition, support and understanding in morality and justice. As per consumption democratic theory, under the electronic democracy condition, government will be more dependent on “consumption relationship” to collect and deal with individual consumption preference. Government can use modern information technology and measures to obtain those citizens’ required service information and conduct classification and disposal as per individual preference. Government supplies services satisfying citizens’ individualized demands with individual consumption demands as core, which will doubly improve government service and enhance government legality. Electronic democracy supplies expression window for public as well as government, in the course of communication between government and citizens, government can have opportunity to explain its own action, which can eliminate the estrangement, prejudice and misunderstanding between government and citizens to promote understanding to reach the common sense and obtain public’s sympathy, understanding and support. [4]

C. Electronic Democracy Is Good for improving Political Decision Making

First, electronic democracy supplies technological support for government decision making democracy, creates new measures for public’s participation. Modern society informationization has largely changed traditional activity manners of human society. Meanwhile, it will affect the operation form of political democracy. Canadian political academy Chairman Black focuses on change of political society in electronic informationization era, he believes “computer is changing our government and election politics……, changing the choice made by representatives elected by ourselves and manner of communication between civil servants and us to realize these choices”. Moreover, citizens’ investigation is a new participation technology based on relevant population random sampling. This participation technology aims for adequately collecting information in government decision making course to reach the purpose of decision making science. With the popularity of Internet,

citizens’ investigation can be gradually realized in network virtual government.

Second, electronic democracy promotes the establishment of government decision making democratic theory. The measure innovation exerts a subtle influence on promoting government decision making democracy transited toward attaching more importance to content instead of form. With the development of economic society and in-depth of government transformation, people’s demands for partaking on public affairs increase rapidly. The conflict between the relative lacked communication between society and government together with people’ increased requirement for partaking in public affairs becomes prominent increasingly. In order to relax this kind of conflict, all of countries establish government website system including all of governments from central government to local government respectively. This is the important measure of establishing service-oriented government, promoting government affair openness, improving public service quality, improving administrative efficiency, encouraging public to know the inside information, conduct participation and supervision, promoting government decision making democracy. It marks in electronic democracy era, government democratic idea has been established and will be constantly deepened with the time passing.

Third, electronic democracy promotes the establishment of government democratic decision making mechanism. Citizens will promote government to establish regulations accordingly and empower the multiple main bodies’ participation in the society when partaking in expanded policy scope through government website. Moreover, it will conduct legal confirmation for citizens’ rights and obligation in their participation course. It permits public to partake in discussion, consultation and evaluation in policy establishment course with normal laws and regulations. In other words, government can constantly improve its policy establishment and execution ability to supply more efficient policy order for society and improve operation efficiency of public policies and public service through bridge function of network. The social multiple main bodies’ participation and cooperation in public policy establishment course is also good for promoting formation and transformation of government democratic decision making mechanism and accelerating promoting the realization of negotiated democracy and proper ruling.

D. Development of Electronic Democracy Supplies Growth Space for Direct Democracy

Modern western participation-style democracy theory believes the equal freedom power and self-development can be realized only in “participation-style society”. E-government affair not only opens a path of conducting face-to-face communication between government and citizens, this path is cultivating people’s efficacy sense and cultivating the care for collective or public issues. The emergence of electronic democracy provides the path of information openness and communication for public to partake in public affairs, people

improve their own capability of affecting government decision making in constant participation course, which makes conversational democratic mechanism with negotiation with government enhances, consolidation of democratic mechanism will promotes the renewal of e-government affairs to form good circulation. There is an active promotion relationship between development of electronic democracy and government decision making democracy, the coordination development between them is also a progressive and comprehensive course. Consumption democratic theory believes the expression of democracy can be included in the adjustment made by consumption relationship, political compulsion lies in the coordination between government and consumers. In electronic democracy era, people can understand government relevant information through network, and decide which requirements shall be put forward to government as per these information, and they can have direct dialogue if necessary. Consumption democracy appears in network ear, consumption democracy has more connotation of direct democracy.

IV. CONCLUSION As a future democracy development form, electronic

democracy has the exclusive advantages comparing with indirect democracy under the modern democratic representative system. Of course, its development and maturity need a course, it depends on the support of many information technology and system platform, depends on citizens’ acceptance and recognition degree for the new thing of electronic democracy. We shall actively attach much importance to negative part of electronic democracy and shall not ignore existing advantage or value of electronic democracy due to the existed operation issue when we affirming inevitability and necessity of electronic democracy and acknowledging and exerting the function of electronic democracy. We have reasons to believe the emergence of electronic democracy will create a revolution for human being in democracy realization manners and measures, which will greatly develop democracy.

REFERENCES [1] Karen Layne, Jungwoo Lee: Developing fullyfunctional E-government:

A four stage model, Elsevier Science Inc., Government Information Quarterly, 2001/2002. 10

[2] Alvin Toffler: "The Third Wave", Joint Publishing, 1984, pp.10, 520-521.

[3] CAO Wei-dong. Habermas essence. Nanjing University Press, 2004. pp. 242, 240.

[4] Oliver, E. Lynn: E-government reconsidered:renewal of governance for the knowledge age, Regina, Sask: University of Regina, Canadian Plains Research enter: Saskatche wanInstitute of PublicPolicy, 2004.

[5] Lawrence • Meyer. Comparative political science - in a changing world countries and the theory. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House, 2001.pp.35.

[6] Liu Wenfu. Cyber Politics - Network Society and Governance. Beijing: Commercial Press, 2002. pp.290.