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The Value of Using Local Political Online Forums to Reverse Political Disengagement

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The value of using local political online forums to reverse political disengagement. Kerill Dunne Thesis submitted for Ph.D. degree in Sociology June 2008 Department of Sociology Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences University of Surrey Guildford *> Surrey UK GU2 7XH © 2008 Kerill Dunne ProQuest Number: 11010066 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11010066 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract There has been a growing concern regarding political disengagement among citizens within liberal thin democracies. This concern has brought about calls for local political online forums to be used to support participatory and deliberative democracy online to reverse this trend. However, little empirical investigation has been conducted into what such forums can support in terms of participatory and deliberative democracy. After an extensive review of the E-Democracy literature three research questions were developed to examine the value of using online forums to reverse political disengagement. A two pronged methodological approach consisting of qualitative and two-phase quantitative methods was used to examine these research questions, and to test specific recommendations on how to build online forums. It was found that, firstly, local political online forums cannot support direct or full- participatory democracy and such forums are mainly situated within liberal thin democratic models. Secondly, forums which are placed within local government websites have a greater chance of being inactive. Finally, non-government supported forums can support a type of discussion which increases citizens’ participation in local political discussions. These results taken together mean that local political online forums will not reverse political disengagement. They do not fail because of some inherent design fault, but because political disengagement is-tied to citizens’ dislike of liberal thin democracy. 1 Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. ...6 1.1 A im s o f t h e s is .......................................................................................................................................................................7 1.2 S c o pe of t h e s is .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Ch a pt e r s in b r ie f ...............................................................................................................................................................9 2 DEMOCRACY AND ITS PARTICIPATORY CAPABILITIES....................................................12 2.1 D e f in in g d e m o c r a c y .............................................................................................................. 12 2 .2 Subcategories o f d e m o c r a c y ................................................................................................................................14 2.2.1 Liberal thin democracy....1.......................................................................................................................................................................15 2.2.2 Liberal plural thin democracy...................................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Unitary democracy..........................................................................................................................................................................................19 2.2.4 Direct democracy............................................................................................................................................................................................20 2.2.5 Strong Democracy .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 2.3 P articipation ....................................................................................................................................................................22 2.3.1 A general theory of political participation ............................................................................................................................23 2.3.2 A categorization of participation .................................................................................................................................................... 26 2 .4 Conclusion and typology 1 ................................................................................................................................... 29 3 DELIBERATION....................................................................................................................................31 3.1.1 A general view o f deliberation ...........................................................................................................................................................31 3.1.2 First category: Mixed discourses and modes of communication .......................................................................33 3.1.3 Habermas and rational deliberation............................................................................................................................................35 3.1.4 Critics of Habermas......................................................................................................................................................................................38 3.1.5 Second category: Rational deliberation redefined .........................................................................................................40 3.1.6 Third category: Non-rational, non-consensual deliberation .................................................................................. 44 3.1.7 Typology 2 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47 3.2 Co n c l u s io n .................................................................................................. 49 4 LOCAL POLITICAL ONLINE FORUMS, AND REVERSING POLITICAL DISENGAGEMENT........................................................................................................................................51 4.1 P o litica l disengagement , a r e a l it y , a n d a sy m p t o m of L ib e r a l is m ...........................................51 4.1.1 Reversing disengagement - the benefits of participation & deliberation ................................................58 4.2 E -D e m o c r a c y ....................................................................................................................................................................64 4.2.1 Local political online forums ................................................................................................................................................................ 66 4.2.2 A brief history of local political online forums ...................................................................................................................72 4.3 Th e v a l u e o f u s in g o n l in e fo r u m s t o r e v e r se p o litic a l disengagement .............................76 4.3.1 Local political online forums, participation, and democratic models ........................................................... 77 4.3.2 Local political online forums and deliberation ...................................................................................................................78 4.3.3 Local government support ...................................................................................................................................................................... 81 4.4 Co n c l u s io n ......................................................................................................................................................................... 82 5 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................................................85 5.1 F irst d e d u c t iv e methodological a p p r o a c h ............................................................................................... 87 5.1.1 Technology ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................87 5.1.2 Developing a set o f rules, objectives and promotion .............................................................................................................. 88 5.1.3 Moderation .........................................................................................................................................................
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