Hansard Society

Programmes

eDemocracy

Exploring the social and political impacts of technology

eDemocracy

Since 1997 the Hansard Society's eDemocracy Programme has led the way in understanding how digital media affect and transform the way democracy works. We were the first dedicated research unit to explore the political and social impact of information and communications technology (ICT). Our research, networks and experience mean that we keep our finger on the pulse of this fast changing area and our reputation for impartiality means that we are a trusted partner and a contributor to the wider debate.

From the internet's impact on parliament, to better government engagement with citizens and the potential for civil society to harness digital media, our thought-leading research has been a formative part of an emergent digital Britain. Today, we undertake research and produce publications and commentaries that deliver value and push the boundaries of digital democracy.

Our work is about democratic innovation. Foccusing on online political communication and citizen engagement, our work explores the many faces of digital inclusion, citizen engagement, political campaigning and parliamentary process.

Our work is known for its practical, relevant and timely results and is highly valued by the key decision makers and influencers across parliament, central and local government - nationally and internationally. Our work influences policy and processes, is used by practitioners and academics and contributes not only to the scholarly debate but to practical solutions that enhance democracy: We seek to understand and to reshape civic and political spaces as they are affected by digital media.

The eDemocracy Programme is:

Dr Andy Williamson - Director

Beccy Allen - Researcher/Project Manager

Freddy Fallon - Researcher

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Birds of a feather?

Twitter is a hot topic and the media love the Twitter angle. But how much value is Twitter adding to the political debate and, realistically, what expectations should we have for Twitter during the forthcoming campaign? A look at recent Twitter activity suggests that in reality Twitter’s real value lies in keeping in touch with the already highly engaged and as a conduit to the mainstream media.
Digital Papers: Twitter: Communication tool or pointless vanity?

The social networking application Twitter has become an increasingly relevant and much talked about tool for the digital politician. As recently as December 2008 only two MPs were regularly dispatching 140-character ‘tweets', as a twitter message is known. Today, this has risen to 79 or just over 12% of MPs. That's about the same number with a blog but fewer than the 30% with a presence on Facebook. This rapid rise has led to the portrayal of Twitter as either revolutionary or a pointless fad. The reality lies somewhere in-between, a continuation of the increasingly fast news and information cycle that started with the printing press and evolved through radio, TV and blogs.
Digital Papers: MPs on Facebook

This new research paper examines how parliamentarians are using social media. It describes how MPs are largely using Facebook as a one-way publishing medium and how this ignores the real benefits of social media. Most MPs have a long way to go before they can claim to truly understand the power of social media.
Our top five priorities for the Director of Digital Engagement

With the new Director of Digital Engagement taking up his position at the Cabinet Office very soon, we've reviewed the Power of Information Taskforce recommendations and thought a little about what we think the top five priorities are going to be for this job.
The internet is a great tool for transparency in public life

At the centre of the current MPs' expenses row lies a system that is at best opaque. Former Scottish Deputy First Minister, Lord Wallace, notes that the Scottish Parliament has largely avoided controversy over MSPs' expenses because they are regularly published online. Before the UK Parliament can start rebuilding public trust, expenses data for all MPs needs to be made available online and, most importantly, this needs to be done using open data standards so that others can analyse, map and create mashups using it.
Director of Digital Engagement appointed

The Government has announced the new Director of Digital Engagement, Andrew Stott. It's highly likely that those outside of government have never come across him. Despite the rhetoric that this was to be a radical new appointment, that new blood was needed, that this job required a good knowledge of social media, of Web2.0 and how the world outside Whitehall worked... we get a life-long Whitehall insider.
Under the bonnet: The engines that drive digital democracy

The internet is having a dramatic and transforming affect on politics. This might not be obvious or even visible to many people yet but it is happening and it matters. When the BBC finally reported a speech by MEP Daniel Hannan, the 'news' was how the video had spread virally across the internet, not the speech itself. This shows us two things, first that the mainstream media still trivialises the power the internet and, second, that doing so is a big mistake.
Achieving a 'Digital Britain' in five not-so-easy steps

This is a summary of a speech given by Andy Williamson, Director of the e-Democracy Programme to the Ofcom Associate Parliamentary Media Literacy Group at Parliament on March 24, 2009, in it he talks about what we need to do to embrace a 'Digital Britain' and some of the barriers to making this a reality.
Twittering isn't just for the birds

Despite the sceptics, Twitter does appear to be a useful tool for digital engagement. It works because people use it. It is not a broadcast medium (although it can be used in this way). The value of Twitter lies in a whole slew of semi-random and often disconnected conversations. Twitter is awash with snippets, ideas, announcements, leads and comments that help us keep up and keep in touch in a fast-changing digital landscape.
MPs are stuck in 'send' mode

A new Hansard Society report, MPs Online: Connecting with Constituents, reveals that MPs are using the internet primarily to inform their constituents rather than engage with them. The most widely used digital media are those which are mainly passive in nature, such as websites. Interactive forms of media which could be used by MPs to develop a two-way dialogue with their constituents, such as blogs and social networking, are used much less commonly. Where these tools are used, it is often in passive ‘send’ mode with few MPs exploiting their full interactive potential.