Assessing China's E-government and Its Impact on Government and Citizen Relationship

Literature Review

Scholars have been debating the role of e-government in e-democracy since the new technology was developed. Tracy Western (2000) delightfully points out “the world is rapidly going digital. This new communications technology will not just affect democracy, it will transform it. Because democracy is an interactive form of government, the revolution in interactive communications will inevitably have its greatest effect on the most important ‘interactive institution’-the government itself ” (p.218). Watson and Mundy (2001) identify e-government and e-politics as elements of e-democracy. They argue that democracy requires an informed citizenry and that e-government informs citizens about their public officials and how to obtain access to them. E-government allows an unimpeded flow of information between citizens and government officials. Lenihan (2002) states that e-government is a move from a more closed to a more open system. He notes that e-government is likely to produce a wide range of new ways to connect government officials with organizations and individuals usually outside their organizational boundaries. This is changing the way information enters and flows around the political system and introducing influences into decision making.