Information and American Democracy: Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

by Bruce Bimber

• ISBN13: 9780521804929
• ISBN10: 0521804922
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book assesses the consequences of new information technologies for American democracy in a way that is theoretical and also historically grounded. The author argues that new technologies have produced the fourth in a series of 'information revolutions' in the US, stretching back to the founding. Each of these, he argues, led to important structural changes in politics. After re-interpreting historical American political development from the perspective of evolving characteristics of information and political communications, the author evaluates effects of the Internet and related new media. The analysis shows that the use of new technologies is contributing to 'post-bureaucratic' political organization and fundamental changes in the structure of political interests. The author's conclusions tie together scholarship on parties, interest groups, bureaucracy, collective action, and political behavior with new theory and evidence about politics in the information age.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
1. Information and Political Change	1	(33)
Overview of the Theory	12	(13)
The Empirical Picture	25	(2)
Plan of the Book	27	(7)
2. Information Revolutions in American Political Development	34	(55)
The Information Theory of The Federalist	34	(13)
The First Information Revolution and the Rise of	47	(15)
Majoritarianism
The Second Information Revolution and the Roots of Pluralism	62	(13)
The Third Information Revolution and the Mass Audience	75	(14)
3. The Fourth Information Revolution and Postbureaucratic Pluralism	89	(21)
The Question of Information Abundance	89	(3)
The Bureaucratic Conception of Pluralism	92	(7)
Post bureaucratic Political Organization	99	(11)
4. Political Organizations in the Fourth Information Revolution	110	(87)
Introduction	110	(15)
Consumer Protection and Privacy	125	(8)
Environmental Advocacy	133	(17)
Education Policy	150	(11)
Gun Control	161	(12)
Campaigns for Office in 2000	173	(15)
Summary of the Cases	188	(9)
5. Political Individuals in the Fourth Information Revolution	197	(32)
The Informed Citizen?	197	(3)
Theoretical Considerations	200	(10)
Diffusion of Information Technology among Individuals	210	(7)
Information Technology and Political Engagement	217	(12)
6. Information, Equality, and Integration in the Public Sphere	229	(22)
Drawing Conclusions: A Revolution in the Middle	229	(2)
A Brief Comparison with Other Nations	231	(8)
Dahl's Equality Proposition	239	(12)
Select Bibliography	251	(12)
Index	263