Assignment

Inass Msaidi Digital Communication  Assignment 1. What is a government website?             Government websites include those for the national executive (such as ministries, departments, offices, agencies, institutes, councils and committees), as well as for the legislative branch, state and local governments the law courts, government representatives in foreign countries including embassies and consulates, and other official institutions.  2. What is e-government?            The United Nations defines e-government as “Permanent commitment by government to improve the relationship between the private citizen and the public sector through enhanced, cost-effective and efficient electronic delivery of services, information and knowledge”.             Gartner Group consultancy describes e-government as ‘the continuous optimization of service delivery, constituency participation, and governance by transforming internal and external relationships through technology, the Internet, and new media’.            Mark Forman, former Associate Director for Information Technology and E-Government at the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines it as ‘the use of Internet technology and protocols to transform agency effectiveness, efficiency, and service quality’. 3. What is e-governance?             It is a holistic approach that is based on the involvement of all stakeholders. 4. What are the promises of e-government? •         Cost reduction•         Coordination•         Effectiveness•         Democratization 5. What are the benefits of e-government? E-government enables government organisations: ü      To meet the rising demands of the citizens who consider themselves as clients and consumersü      To redesign internal and external information exchanges with relevant stakeholders (citizens, companies and societal organizations)ü      To open a new perspective on public participation. 6. What are the stages of e-government? Stage 1: Emerging PresenceStage 2: Enhanced presenceStage 3: Interactive presenceStage 4: Transactional presenceStage 5: Networked presence 7. What are the objectives of the UN e-government Readiness Report? Here are the objectives of the UN e-government Readiness Report:1) Comparative assessment of the willingness and ability of governments in the use of e- government and ICTs as tools in the public delivery of services;2) Benchmarking tool for monitoring the progress of countries, now three years in a row, as they progress towards higher levels of e- government and e-participation service delivery.  8. How can we improve e-governance/e-participation in the Arab world? To develop a citizen-focused vision, Arab governments should have three strategies: n      Encouragen      Organize n      Managee-participation Inass Msaidi Digital Communication  Assignment 1. What is a government website?             Government websites include those for the national executive (such as ministries, departments, offices, agencies, institutes, councils and committees), as well as for the legislative branch, state and local governments the law courts, government representatives in foreign countries including embassies and consulates, and other official institutions.  2. What is e-government?            The United Nations defines e-government as “Permanent commitment by government to improve the relationship between the private citizen and the public sector through enhanced, cost-effective and efficient electronic delivery of services, information and knowledge”.             Gartner Group consultancy describes e-government as ‘the continuous optimization of service delivery, constituency participation, and governance by transforming internal and external relationships through technology, the Internet, and new media’.            Mark Forman, former Associate Director for Information Technology and E-Government at the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines it as ‘the use of Internet technology and protocols to transform agency effectiveness, efficiency, and service quality’. 3. What is e-governance?             It is a holistic approach that is based on the involvement of all stakeholders. 4. What are the promises of e-government? •         Cost reduction•         Coordination•         Effectiveness•         Democratization 5. What are the benefits of e-government? E-government enables government organisations: ü      To meet the rising demands of the citizens who consider themselves as clients and consumersü      To redesign internal and external information exchanges with relevant stakeholders (citizens, companies and societal organizations)ü      To open a new perspective on public participation. 6. What are the stages of e-government? Stage 1: Emerging PresenceStage 2: Enhanced presenceStage 3: Interactive presenceStage 4: Transactional presenceStage 5: Networked presence 7. What are the objectives of the UN e-government Readiness Report? Here are the objectives of the UN e-government Readiness Report:1) Comparative assessment of the willingness and ability of governments in the use of e- government and ICTs as tools in the public delivery of services;2) Benchmarking tool for monitoring the progress of countries, now three years in a row, as they progress towards higher levels of e- government and e-participation service delivery.  8. How can we improve e-governance/e-participation in the Arab world? To develop a citizen-focused vision, Arab governments should have three strategies: n      Encouragen      Organize n      Managee-participation

Theories of Digital Democracy

I. The Internet and Democracy  While a broad ‘crisis of democracy’ has proved exaggerated, nevertheless indicators suggest increasing numbers of ‘critical citizens’ characterized by high expectations of democracy as an ideal and yet low evaluations of the actual performance of representative institutions.  Cyber-optimists regard digital technologies as perhaps the most important development in our lifetimes that could potentially fuel this process.  As a new channel of two-way communication the Internet can function to strengthen and enrich the connections between citizens and intermediary organizations including political parties, social movements and interest groups, and the news media, as well as with public officials and agencies of local, national and global governance.  The Internet may broaden involvement in public life by eroding some of the barriers to political participation and civic engagement, especially for many groups currently marginalized from mainstream politics, facilitating the ability of citizens to gather information about campaign issues, to mobilize community networks, to network diverse coalitions around policy problems, and to lobby elected representatives. 1. The Internet and Democratization  In democratic systems the Internet can help the consolidation process by strengthening the institutions of representative democracy including parliaments and political parties, fostering linkages among new social movements and enriching community networks in civic society, as well as providing a platform for opposition parties, protest groups, and minorities seeking to challenge authoritarian regimes.  The role of digital technologies may be equally important in challenging authoritarian regimes. II. Evaluating the Democratic Functions of the Internet *Representative democracy involves three dimensions:  Pluralistic competition among parties and individuals for all positions of government power.  Participation among equal citizens in the selection of parties and representatives through free, fair and periodic elections; and,  Civil and political liberties to speak, publish, assemble, and organize, as necessary conditions to ensure effective competition and participation. III. What explains the rise of digital politics? 1. Developmental Theories  Explanations emphasizing the role of development emphasize long-term secular changes in the economic structure that drive social and political change. 2. Technological Theories  Technological development directly influences how far political organizations can provide online services and information, and indirectly produces greater incentives for political organizations to do so, as the general public gradually becomes wired. 3. Theories of Democratization  Such theories suggest that, for example, e-governance will be as advanced in Singapore as in Sweden, or that community groups and grassroots civic associations will be as active and prolific on the web in Malaysia as in Mexico. IV. Mapping Digital Politics  Technologies have generated multiple opportunities for political information and communication.

Chapter I: Detailed Outline

              I.      Why Internet Politics ?ü      The Internet is now more heavily politicized than at any time in its short history.ü      Political actors are increasingly attempting to use the Internet to enhance their presence and legitimize their activities.ü      States are increasingly attempting to regulate social and political behavior online and are monitoring the use of the Internet by groups and movements considered to be a threat to political stability and the interests of key economic actors.II. What Is The Internet? Two Preliminary Answers            1. A Technical Answerü      The Internet is not a single entity but a collection of entities, a relatively decentralized network of networks.ü      There are different ways of using Internet, but one thing they all have in common is that they must interface with these established standards and protocols.             2. A Comparative Answerü      The Net is very different from other forms of mass-communication and personal communication. ü      It is very difficult for governments to regulate and control access to Internet content. III. The Size & Scope of the Internetü      Measuring the different types of communication hat occur across the Net, from email to chat to simple web browsing, is incredibly difficult, due to the transient nature of many of these forms of activity. ü      An effective accurate way of measuring the growth of the Internet is the Internet Domain Survey host count. ü      Since 2000, the Internet has continued to grow at a massive pace, reaching around 233 million hosts in January 2004. ü      Another way of measuring the Internet is through The ITU user data..IV. Outline of the Bookü      Part I·        Chapter2: concepts & themes which underpin the material of the book.·        Chapter3: provides a brief history of the Internet.·        Chapter4: examines the digital divide.ü      Part II·        Chapter5: considers the potential for the Internet to enhance community cohesion, political deliberation, and participation through what is now commonly termed.·        Chapter6:  is e-mobilization- a shorthand term for uses of the Internet by interest groups and social movements for political recruitment, organization, and campaigning.·        Chapter7: in which the author considers the impact of the Internet on parties and election campaigning. ·        Chapter8: deals with the Internet’s impact upon institutions. It examines e-government. ü      Part II·        Chapter9: looks at the recent emergence of a new global information society regime. ·        Chapter10: examines recent international attempts to provide a governance structure for the Internet.·        Chapter11: explores how the Internet reconfigures the relationship between surveillance, privacy, and security. ·        Chapter12: considers whether the Internet is changing the political economy of the media and entertainment industries. ·        In the final chapter , the author takes a brief look at the likely short-to-medium-term future of Internet politics.                                        

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