The Impact of Digital Transformation on Democracy and Good Governance

                      This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2021 at https://rm.coe.int/study-on-the-impact-of-digital-transformation-on-democracy-and-good-go/1680a3b9f9

                  There are various debates at play on the future of democracy in the digital age. Despite decreasing levels of trust in traditional institutions and politicians, individuals are willing to engage in the public sphere. Digital tech provide additional opportunities to express this engagement: citizens participate in online conversations, consultations and deliberations; contribute online to causes they support, including financially; and share their input that help hold public institutions to account. Increasingly, deliberative forms of democracy have come into play to complement representative democracy, thus enhancing transparency and inclusiveness of the public decision-making process. Overall, digital tech offers ways to enhance the quality of democracy in terms of accountability and responsiveness. Digitalisation can offer public administration new channels to deliver quality services. Embracing digital transformation means also promoting a cultural change in the work of civil servants. Digital transformation has an impact on all aspects of life, from the economy to government, from geopolitics to the way in which ordinary people interact. The Council of Europe work in this area has intensified in the past 3 years, with mandates being given to different intergovernmental committees to look into different aspects relating to technology and its impact on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The 12 Principles of Good Governance are enshrined in the strategy endorsed by Council of Europe in 2008. They are: 1) Participation, representation and fair conduct of elections. 2) Responsiveness. 3) Efficiency and effectiveness. 4) Openness and transparency. 5) Rule of law. 6) Ethical conduct. 7) Competence and capacity. 8) Innovation and openness to change. 9) Sustainability and long-term orientation. 10) Sound financial management. 11) Human rights, cultural diversity and social cohesion. 12) accountability. Whether in the area of democracy or in the area of government and public administration, when adequate safeguards are in place, tech can play a vital role in strengthening the implementation of all these principles, thus improving the quality of government, meeting people's needs and expectations, and ultimately contributing to greater trust in public institutions. Despite the manifold opportunities digital tech offer to strengthen democracy and governance, digital tech might also adversely affect the enjoyment of individual rights and freedoms, for instance as regards privacy and data protection. Many argue that liberal democracy is in crisis or has come under attack. However, there is no consensus about the causes of the crisis nor on the role digital tech play with regards to it. Some elements of democracy are being challenged and losing ground while others are acquiring greater prominence. It is hard to say whether this is a problem or rather an evolution of democracy. For instance, for many years Europe States have witnessed a disenchantment with representative democracy, which is epitomised by declining participation rates in elections and support for traditional political parties. At the same time, new political actors and movements have arisen. Democracy is not a static system. On the contrary, one way to think about the current crisis is that another moment have arrived that requires democracy to evolve. Citizens are demanding a kind of democracy that is more responsive. The solution is thus not to limit democracy, but to deepen it further in what has been called the 'democratization of democracy'. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy. They require independent public opinion formation. Digital tech form an important part of the information system voters rely on. Digital tech have reshaped the ways in which people express their will. For democracy to function, a well-informed public is needed. In the digital age, information circulates on a global scale. The main motivation for digitalisation in the public sector is to increase efficiency and thus reduce costs. In addition, it is believed that digitalisation will free public officials from routine activites that can best be automated. Digital transformation, democracy and good governance have a fundamental feature in common: they are dynamic processes. They evolve over time. being influenced by a great number of internal and external factors. These processes are closely interwined and impact on each other in an unprecedented way at the present time which is often referred to as 'the digital age'. The digitalisation of the public sector has experienced a rapid acceleration in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. During such challenging times, the ability to 'go digital' has greatly contributed to the resilience of public action, ensuring that democratic institutions could continue to work and public services to be delivered. In parallel, however, digitalisation exposes democracy to new vulnerabilities at hands of hostile private and public actors. To harness the potential of digital transformation to strengthen democracy, governments will need to equip themselves for a cultural change: flexibility, self-evaluation, continuous learning, I.T. skills will be necessary to enable public officials to use tech and prevent negative consequences.