E-Parliament: The Use of Information and Communications Technologies to Improve Parliamentary Processes

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Authors: 
Tess Kingham
Publisher: 
World Bank Institute
Publication date: 
2003
Language: 
English

This paper primarily looks at how e*parliaments—the use of ICT to improve parliamentary processes—have developed, considers possible future directions and advocates the adoption of a three-stage model of e*parliament, which will relate strongly to both e-government and edemocracy. If the application of ICT to parliaments seems nowadays inevitable, then inevitable will be its impact on the functioning of parliamentary institutions. The development of ‘e-parliaments’ will
transform both the ways in which parliaments operate as well as their representative function. The potential to transform parliaments centres on three main areas:

�� Increased administrative efficiency
�� Improved information access and dissemination
�� Enhanced interaction with citizens

These three areas can be translated into a model of three stages of developments of e-parliaments, which if adopted could herald a transformative process that affects in a fundamental way the way citizens relate to the state. E*parliaments have the potential to fulfil a role in improving governance and hence enthusiasm for democracy and the engagement of people with political processes.

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