Information communications technology and democratisation (sic) in the European Union : an analysis

This thesis aims to study the impact of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in addressing the "democratic deficit" of the European Union. The democratic deficit refers in part to the inability of elected representatives to constrain the power of the non-elected governing bodies of the EU. A European information society (IS) has been developed as part of a larger effort to resolve this democratic deficit. ICTs are capable of affecting social and political perceptions of governance. The democratising potential of ICTs is balanced between their ability to influence societal development, and the flexibility of the European institutions in accommodating the influence of technology. The unique elite-oriented political structure of select EU governing institutions limits the social and political influences of the technologies that have been introduced. As reflected in public opinion, the information society initiative has instead drawn the democratic deficit further into the public eye.