Internet and Democracy

April 19

Digital tools are seen as playing a major part in political activities and revolutions around the world from the Green Revolution in Iran to the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa. In this class, we'll explore the role of the Internet in political organizing, social movements and popular protests, and the potential impact of digital tools on governance.

Readings

The Internet and Government At Odds

• Bruce Etling and John Kelly, Mapping Iran's Online Public, available here.

The Internet and Civic Crisis

• Josh Goldstein and Juliana Rotich, Digitally Networked Technology in Kenya's 2007-2008 Post-Election Crisis, available here.

Additional Resources

• Etling, Kelly, Faris, Palfrey Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere
• Faris, Etling, Madison and the Smart Mob: The Promise and Limitations of the Internet for Democracy
• Ushahidi
• Rosling on Development

• Martus
• Infodev
• Statistics
• ITU stats
• ITU-D
• ITU's expensive publication
• Global Voices
• Bridges.org's Real Access / Real Impact criteria for ICT access