THE INTERNET AND DEMOCRACY

creates new possibilities for the processes of democracy, and at the same time creates great challenges. For example, the most obvious application is to support elections; but the vulnerability of personal computers makes online voting a risky proposition. The Internet has provided greater scope for communications from parties to voters, and from members of parliament to their constituents. The Internet also supports a potentially very busy ‘back-channel ’ and, as a result, parties and politicians may feel some pressure. They are, however, likely to feel far more concerned about representative democracy coming under threat from electronically-facilitated direct democracy. Some aspects of e-government are also relevant to democratic processes. Greater community engagement and participation are possible. On the other hand, these ideas challenge the status quo. This paper surveys developments in e-voting, e-politics and e-government, and identifies some specific topics on which more detailed research would be valuable