New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing an important role in the field of politics, as well as in the way citizens are governed.  The Asian region has been at the forefront of innovations in the field of ICTs and governance, as demonstrated by the oft-cited examples of the use of mobiles and SMS in the Philippines to protest - and later depose e.g. President Estrada - or the use of the internet to provide government services in India. However, very little is known about the actual impact these new technologies are having on the process of democracy in Asia or in the quality of governing.

 

Consistent with the view of the state and technology as constraining and enabling structures, a Pan Asia Network for eGovernance (PANeGOV) proposes to collectively document how ICTs are being used in democratic governance. As such, this research project is focussed on  ICTs and "governance", which encompasses, but is not limited to, "e-government" services.

 

The Project: How does this initiative address the development problem?
PANeGOV will undertake 8 projects classified in three areas. All are research activities - intellectual investigations aimed at discovering, interpreting, revising and deepening our collective understanding of issues related to democratic eGovernance. However, some activities contribute more to a deeper understanding of democratic eGovernance (theoria) and others have a distinct action orientation (praxis).

 

The general objective of PANeGOV is to contribute to a deeper understanding of "democratic eGovernance" -  or the use of ICT to enhance citizen participation in defining the fundamental organizational processes and wider social structures (including the institutions and mechanisms) which enable them to live and prosper.

 

-         Lead and promote the conduct of research on Democratic eGovernance in Asia;

-         Develop research capacity by creating a network of academic/research institutions, non-profit organization/NGOs in ICT in governance research;

-         Help develop policy on ICT and democratic governance by directly inputting into official policy making process and/or creating new policy alternatives that are being championed by citizens, groups, parties, movements; and

-         Serve as a resource for citizens/individuals, groups/non-government organizations, sectors (women and youth), political organizations, government and intergovernmental organizations on the evolution of ICT enabled governance and citizen empowerment in Asia.

 

Expected outcomes of the project include:

 

-         A better understanding of the role technology plays in democratic governance in Asia and how best to harness it for improving governance;

-         Findings on best practices that are used to help improve state/citizen engagement  in political processes and help ensure governance is more transparent, open and accountable;

-         Increased dialogue amongst key industry, government and civil society stakeholders, focussing on the issue of open governance;

-         Increased usage of politically effective new media strategies by civil society organisations;

-         Increased knowledge of the way governments and political parties engage the new media; and

-         Development of new technological process, particularly in the area of citizen engagement in political processes

 

All publications and materials related to this project will be available as the project progresses.