The Scottish Parliament and e‐democracy

Abstract

Purpose

To describe the initiatives of the Scottish Parliament in the field of e‐democracy and assess the prospects for future developments.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis and review.

Findings

The Scottish Parliament has always seen the internet as one of the major mechanisms for engaging Scottish citizens in the Parliament's business and activities. Its most successful initiatives have been the e‐petitioning system, the webcasting of proceedings, the discussion forums and the MSP video diaries.

Research limitations/implications

Relevant to parliaments and other representative institutions.

Practical implications

Simple implementable tools are described that have been shown to be effective.

Originality/value

Few parliaments have been able to put theory into practice in a short time. Applicable to other small parliaments with limited resources wishing to enhance democratic participation by electronic means.

Citation

Seaton, J. (2005), "The Scottish Parliament and e‐democracy", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 57 No. 4, pp. 333-337. https://doi.org/10.1108/00012530510612068