Chatalas Shrugged

Another big election is in the books. We’ve expended energy following, analyzing and funding candidates and causes. And in the wake of tallying the votes, many are already planning for and looking ahead to the next visit to the polls.

What often gets overlooked in the election aftermath, however, is the actual management of the government. After all, the entire point of getting elected is to run the government.

Similarly, the recent election heralded the prominence of the Internet as a significant tool in the campaigns. Obama’s use of digital media is considered by many to be revolutionary in its approach, engaging and communicating with millions of citizens. But what about the Internet’s role in government? If the wired world is contributing so much to our society, then it must be applicable to the practices within city halls.

Federal and local governments, and our elected officials, have long attempted to utilize the power of digital technology to provide better service and access for citizens. In E-Government, from The Politics of Internet Communication, Robert Klotz provides an overview of how the Internet has been used by our government since the early ‘90s, including the successes and limitations of these efforts.

The benefits of e-government parallel those we typically derive from the wired world in our daily lives, including access, efficiency, and openness. As citizens, we have become accustomed to using the Internet to more easily obtain information, find forms, submit payments, and communicate with government.

Government websites are in abundance, yet the offerings and capabilities vary greatly. On the federal level, our many agencies have sites that citizens visit and use on a massive scale. The Internal Revenue Service is the most common destination, with the public finding it much easier to get documents, publications and information about taxes online rather than in person. Information from health, weather and census agencies, among others, is also accessed frequently on our Federal servers.

Local governments, although not to the same magnitude as the feds, provide numerous web resources as well. State DMV departments have made vehicle registration easier online, and some even offer web cameras showing real-time traffic. Local governments, though, have to prioritize their online offerings to best reflect the needs of its citizenry. Fishing and hunting licensing may be more popular in Montana, while information about affordable services more common in areas of higher poverty. Some governments have created databases of health care providers, while others pour resources into crime prevention and statistics. Interestingly enough, Washington State is cited as the national leader in its practice of e-government.

While the government is finding ways to embrace technology, elected officials are receiving spotty reviews in their efforts. As Klotz details, all officeholders have websites, but they tend to emphasize self-promotion over legislative information and voting records. These sites encourage citizen input, but in most cases it’s become overwhelming for the staffs to keep up with the deluge of public comments, in many cases generated by mass e-mail campaigns. That said, there are clearly well-run officeholder websites, which would seem to mirror the level of importance the elected official and his staff places upon this transformative technology. So it’s little surprise that president-elect Obama already has a new website up, filled with transition information, job applications, blog entries and an appeal for supporters to share inspirational campaign experiences.

And as the Internet’s role in Obama’s election is considered revolutionary, there may also be some effects upon his governance. His vast online network, including the millions of e-mail and text addresses, will suddenly find itself in a bit of a dual role. Not only will these grassroots supporters advocate for the Obama agenda, they will also serve as watchdogs, scrutinizing the president’s plans and putting pressure on him to honor his promises.

Digital Deliberation

It’s obvious that technology is having impact on our democracy, from campaigns to government services. Still, one area of our public process which begs for attention is the of use digital technology to improve public participation. Thomas Beierle studies this in Digital Deliberation: Engaging the Public Through Online Policy Dialogues (Democracy Online, 2004). Beierle examines an online dialogue sponsored by the EPA in 2001. This public deliberation was an online bulletin board discussion covering two weeks, and which included more than 1,100 participants commenting on the agency’s draft Public Involvement Policy.

Beierle says that this public dialogue involved many more participants than the other standard outreach methods, including public meetings, public comments and advisory committees. And he concluded that “the EPA dialogue demonstrates that such processes can fill a niche in the public participation tool box by bringing together large groups of people in an interactive process of exchanging information.”

Of note, though, is the lack of diversity of those who took part in this process. Beierle found that the participants were regular users of the Internet, including 86 percent who went online at least 10 times per week. Considering that in 2001 only 44 percent of the US used the Internet, and you see some signs of a digital divide. Indeed, Beierle says that the education, race and age of the participants were consistent with characteristics of such a divide.

The Digital Divide

Andrew Chadwick examines this digital divide in Access, Inclusion, and the Digital Divide (Internet Politics). His in-depth analysis of the subject covers global usage, as well as just within the US. He points out that this inequality of access to the Internet will likely have adverse effects on the less fortunate, similar to income and education gaps. And as might be expected, money and schooling (and race and geography) are often cited as primary attributes of the cultures and individuals which are most invested with digital technology.

It does appear that a main cause of the global digital divide is economic. Many hail deregulation for increasing US usage due to competition and pricing. But this is countered by Chadwick who indicates that government can play an active role in ensuring more people have access to technology. As mentioned, education level is an indicator of those more inclined to use the Internet. But some argue this isn’t so bad. Rogers, whose diffusion of innovation theory is applied to nearly every technological advancement, believes that “education oils the wheels of innovation by providing an audience open to new ideas.”

The digital divide is an area of concern for governments and activists. The Internet as a great equalizer cannot live up to that potential if a sizeable portion of society cannot take part. Understanding the divide will hopefully help lead to solutions that will close the gap. Among others, an organization in Philadelphia is currently working toward this objective; the Media Mobilizing Project is holding a meeting on November 19 that will focus on developing a city-wide agenda around the digital divide. Its goal is to “ensure that high-speed Internet connections are available to all residents, particularly those living in poor and working-class communities so they may obtain city services, apply for jobs, research health information… and be civically engaged.”

E-Government Will Continue to Expand

Government’s embrace of the Internet was to be expected, and it is having a profound effect on efficiency and communications. Citizens like accessing their government online, and want their officials to continue the practice. And just as we’ve seen staggering growth in the sophistication of web usage and applications, we should expect to experience an expansion in e-government beyond the basics now in place.

In acknowledging that the Internet can improve government, the approach to applying it seems straightforward: examine every component of the government in the context of technology. Establish how the digital tools can help make services and communication better, and set out to implement it. Such initiatives require dedication and financial support, but the government that neglects to do such is failing its citizenry.