Search results

To draw some conclusions about the implications of parties' engagement with the new information and communications technologies (ICTs) for the quality of democracy, this article explores the way in which Italian parties are exploiting the World Wide Web for campaigning and related functions. Italy has been chosen because it is a liberal democracy and yet has party-system and other characteristics in terms of which it differs from other democracies that have been used to explore the political implications of use of the new ICTs. Adding an Italian case study to the existing work consequently allows us to move closer to an understanding of the conditions under which the new ICTs will have an impact. Defining the quality of democracy in terms of the degree to which parties and individual citizens are afforded equality of influence in political decision making, this research points in the direction of a muted impact because of a tendency of the parties to use the new medium to carry out existing campaign tasks more efficiently and effectively rather than seek to use it in innovative ways. However, this same tendency may improve the quality of democracy in another sense, namely, by reinvigorating and strengthening the party organizations that are central to the representative process in the first place.

To draw some conclusions about the implications of parties' engagement with the new information & communications technologies (ICTs) for the quality of democracy, this article explores the way in which Italian parties are exploiting the World Wide Web for campaigning & related functions. Italy has been chosen because it is a liberal democracy & yet has party-system & other characteristics in terms of which it differs from other democracies that have been used to explore the political implications of use of the new ICTs. Adding an Italian case study to the existing work consequently allows us to move closer to an understanding of the conditions under which the new ICTs will have an impact. Defining the quality of democracy in terms of the degree to which parties & individual citizens are afforded equality of influence in political decision making, this research points in the direction of a muted impact because of a tendency of the parties to use the new medium to carry out existing campaign tasks more efficiently & effectively rather than seek to use it in innovative ways. However, this same tendency may improve the quality of democracy in another sense, namely, by reinvigorating & strengthening the party organizations that are central to the representative process in the first place. 5 Tables, 2 Figures, 1 Appendix, 20 References. Adapted from the source document.

The literature on parties suggests various hypotheses about the conditions under which the cohesion & discipline of parliamentary parties will be greater or lesser. Since one such hypothesis concerns party-system characteristics, Italy offers an opportunity to investigate what happens to cohesion & discipline when a system characterized by the permanence in office of a large, centrally located party & based on the permanent exclusion of Left & Right extremes, is replaced by one characterized by strong bipolar tendencies & the alternation in office of two competing coalitions. Italy' s transformation appears to have produced more cohesive & disciplined behavior in parliament. 5 Tables, 1 Appendix. Adapted from the source document.

Focus on electoral campaign battles between parties of the center-left and center-right in 15 regions, which left the center-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi confident of success in general elections scheduled to be held by Spring 2001.