Designing E-Government Exploring The Potential Of New Information And Communication Technology Paradigms For Democratic Purposes

We argue that e-government application design should be undertaken in a reflexive and strategic way with the goal of reimagining the practice of democratic governance at local, state or provincial, and national levels. The affordances associated with Web 2.0 technologies and more recent information design research focusing on user experiences make it possible for government organizations and citizens to interact in new and compelling ways. We suggest further that contemporary users of this new technology paradigm have embraced its innovations and may soon come to expect them in e-government applications. We provide some examples that illustrate how we might pursue e-government designs that engage users in experiences with government organizations that redefine the relationship between government and citizen.