[DW] Article - e-Democracy: Putting Down Global Roots - Caldow, IBM Institute for Electronic Government

[Steven Clift]

*** Democracies Online Newswire -  http://e-democracy.org/do ***
***  See something? Send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  ***

Thank you Janet for sending this in to DoWire.  I'll be adding links
to this and other recent related articles to my newer e-government
and democracy page <http://publicus.net/e-government>.

Steven Clift
Democracies Online Newswire

P.S. Something related in case you missed this one before the
holidays:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/msg00117.html



Available on the right in PDF from:
http://www.ibm.com/industries/government/ieg


e-Democracy: Putting Down Global Roots

By Janet Caldow

Ask any farmer. It’s one thing to sow seed, but quite another to
nurture thousands upon thousands of seedlings, row upon row, so they
put down strong roots and produce a high-yield crop. Although some
governments have sown the first few e-democracy seeds, an abundant
harvest seems elusive and distant at best. Don’t blame technology.
Today’s (even yesterday’s) technology can electronically support
virtually every aspect of democracy. And don’t blame lack of funds.
The marginal cost of incorporating e-democracy initiatives into an e-
gov technology infrastructure is insignificant. What’s missing is
statesmanship and the resolve to nurture the first e-democracy
seedlings whose mature fruits can sustain the next generation. As
governments achieve more and more sophisticated levels of e-
government, such as online citizen services, strategy should include
a companion progression to more and more sophisticated levels of e-
democracy within and beyond national borders.

...

See page 5 for Caldow's for quadrant "e-Democracy Model"


...


Conclusion

Over the next decade, e-democracy efforts will start to bear long-
awaited fruit. But it won’t happen without reasoned and deliberate
action. First, leaders need to understand the importance e-democracy
in their role as statesmen in a digital world. Secondly, leaders need
to understand why their information technology infrastructures are
essential to this vision. Government entities invest in information
technology infrastructures for a variety of purposes. E-democracy
should be one of those driving forces. Most leaders recognize
technology infrastructure is the enabling foundation for internal
government transformation and a vehicle to provide government
services to citizens. The very same technologies can support sweeping
changes in e-democracy. It’s time to graduate from the now
commonplace delivery of information and government services online to
a more strategic view that promotes the philosophy and practice of
democracy in the free world.
^               ^               ^                ^
Steven L. Clift    -    W: http://www.publicus.net
Minneapolis    -   -   -     E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Minnesota  -   -   -   -   -    T: +1.612.822.8667
USA    -   -   -   -   -   -    M: +1.612.203.5181

Join my Democracies Online Newswire:
    http://e-democracy.org/do
My blogging experiment:
    http://travelscoops.com

*** Past Messages, Discussion http://e-democracy.org/do ***
*** To subscribe, e-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]          ***
***         Message body:  SUB DO-WIRE                  ***
*** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE        ***
*** Please send submissions to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]     ***