Public interest

Gartner reports that many attempts to use IT to engage people in the policy-making process have so far failed and suggests ways to overcome people's apathy and mistrust ["How to Interest People in Democracy on the Web", A. Di Maio, Research Note 11 June 2004] . These suggestions can extend beyond involvement in policy-making to the other elements of participation.

An electronic channel is just one of several ways to interact with government. Complementary non-electronic channels for interacting with government will continue to meet the diverse needs of the public and businesses. Elements such as transparency, outreach, communication through traditional channels and improved service levels are required to entice people's trust and willingness to engage with government. Gartner suggests "an e-democracy strategy needs to be an integral part of a wider consultation and voting strategy".

Since people need to believe that their input matters, Gartner advises that the "e-democracy strategy" must include anticipating issues and orientation. This means plan the entire consultation process from consultation to reporting, with particular reference to analysis or structured and unstructured data from other sources of interaction.

If technology is used to engage those people who do not usually participate, then consultation must be provided in areas where they feel compelled to participate and provide feedback. Governments also have the opportunity to learn from the successes of online communities that exist in the private sector. They should involve intermediaries, non-profit organisations and other third parties to entice public participation.

Gartner's bottom line is that electronic channels alone will not increase participation. Governments must propose new methods to bring value, and use technology to establish more immediate links between those processes and issues that people really care about.