Information technology and civil society empowerment (26 June 2001)

The Civil Society Revolution

The massive global growth of NGOs has been a key feature of the last three decades of the twentieth century, and their continued emergence will undoubtedly play a large role in shaping our world in the coming years. In the face of the breakdown of old orders, the advent of globalisation, and the complacent heralding of ‘the end of history’, a powerful form of social action has emerged. The movement is diverse and diffuse, yet bonded in the belief that political change can be effected through the power of people acting together.

NGOs do not seek power, but change. They do not present a single political manifesto, but form channels for citizens to unleash their energies in different fields: social, environmental, developmental, and humanitarian. Whether acting to advocate change, or creating change themselves by providing services and support, NGOs are building social solidarity, and bridging the chasm of democratic deficit which afflicts our political landscape. This chasm is manifested in many ways, including the low turn-outs for EU elections, the demonstrations on the streets in Seattle, Nice, and other summits, the recent rejection by the Irish electorate of the Treaty of Nice, and the general sense of weariness and cynicism which characterises the attitude of so many towards the political elite. Whilst many may feel powerless in the face of the forces of globalisation, and fear that the EU is turning into a ‘bankers’ Europe’, NGOs offer the potential to restore our faith in our institutions and in ourselves, to bridge the gap between the governed and the governing, and to refresh and revitalise political life in so-doing.

But to what extent can the new potential offered by the ‘information revolution’ play a role in empowering civil society?

An Information Revolution for All?

The huge growth in information technology, and the accompanying changes that it is creating to our lives provides a persuasive argument that a new form of society – the information society is being forged at the start of the twenty-first century. New technology, it can be argued, is creating not only new ways of working and playing, but new means of communicating and of building relationships, which transcend barriers such as geography, age, class, gender, and ethnicity. But does the reality match the rhetoric?

It is certainly true that the growth of information technology has been huge and access to the web is now widespread: there are over 400 million internet users world-wide, and it is estimated that just over one quarter of EU households now have access to the internet (Nielsonfigures). However, the case for describing this in any meaningful way as a widespread ‘information revolution’ at present is much weaker. While the information revolution may be in progress, it is not yet a popular revolution: European research reveals that 47% of internet-users come from the top 11% of the European population by income. New internet users are being drawn largely from groups that are already well represented on the net – with other groups likely to continue to be excluded from the information society (IPSOS, 2000). Furthermore, a hugely disproportionate 41% of the world’s estimated 429 million internet users live in the USA or Canada (Nielson, 2001).

The information revolution has generated huge potential – but it is not a panacea for the problems of social exclusion, and in fact may serve to deepen the divisions in society. Steps must be taken to ensure that the information society has the effect of reducing social exclusion, rather than increasing, or at least perpetuating it.

One of the key reasons for the increasing influence of civil society organisations within the political process is their ability to engage a broad spectrum of society who are not engaged withi n the traditional political process. Clearly, whatever the benefits of information technology, NGOs must remain aware that an increased reliance on IT carries with it the danger of narrowing its support base, or weakening, rather than strengthening its ties with grass-roots communities.

Harnessing the Potential

In spite of the potential dangers, however, it must also be acknowledged that IT provides a myriad of opportunities for empowering civil society, many of which are already being used. These can perhaps be divided into two forms of activity: (horizontal) network-building, and (vertical) civil dialogue.

IT and Civil Society Network-building

Many civil society groups are already using IT to network, exchange best practices, build alliances, and to find partners for their work. Even small, local NGOs are often able to use electronic communications to rapidly transfer information, and the use of IT can enable organisations to create widespread and low-cost networks, in spite of very small operational budgets. These can encompass everything from closed membership networks to open electronic fora (email lists, web debates) for exchange and debate.

NGOs are increasingly networking amongst themselves in response to a realisation that the issues which concern them can often only be addressed on a European, or even on a global level. The Social Platform is one example of this phenomenon at European-level, bringing together social NGOs from throughout the EU. NGOs are also developing international ‘virtual’ networks, to discuss their concerns and form alliances on issues such as fair trade and the WTO. People are discovering that global campaigns can be organised through the power of the internet, for example the campaign against the OECD’s Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment, which was largely organised via the internet by citizen groups. Similarly, internet activism has been instrumental in organising mass demonstrations and events – which, in spite of media coverage, have been largely peaceful – such as the Seattle protests, the May 1st demonstrations in London, and in facilitating civil society meetings such as the World Social Forum at Porto Alegre.

IT and the Civil Dialogue

In addition to such ‘horizontal’ network building between NGOs and civil society activists, IT provides further opportunities for civil society to engage in dialogue with policy makers. There is a clear need to establish a strong civil dialogue between government and civil society to complement (but not replace or undermine) the existing political dialogue and social dialogue, and many uses of IT are already being advanced in order to build this connection.

‘Web-chats’ are regularly used by the European Commission to allow web-users to directly question Commissioners. The Convention which drafted the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights hosted a web-site which published not only working drafts of the Charter and reports of meetings, but also proposals and commentaries from civil society organisations and interested citizens could send comments. Policy-makers now regularly make proposals available on the web, and invite electronic responses, whilst electronic fora are also becoming increasingly common.

Whilst these initiatives should be welcomed as providing innovative ways of connecting citizens with government, their limitations must also be acknowledged. One of the strengths of the internet – the anonymity and open access which, it is argued, creates a ‘virtual society’ of equals, can also limit the potential for developing a meaningful dialogue. Dialogue at a political level requires both sides to be able to identify their interlocutors, and to develop a relationship based upon mutual understanding, responsibility, and trust. Such ‘open access’, unstructured mechanisms of engaging with the public may offer the potential to directly reach million s, but it is an empty, context-free engagement in which the citizens participating are isolated not only from politicians, but from each other. IT must not be used as a ‘virtual’ substitute for ‘real’ dialogue with civil society, because ‘virtual communities’ are a long way from replacing the solidarity within real communities. Open engagements can be useful, but must be supplemented by structured dialogue with organised civil society – a dialogue in which the context for all parties’ involvement is transparent, as is their representativity of the communities from which they are drawn.

Civil society is already widely using IT in order to empower ordinary citizens. But we must continue to reflect critically upon the information society’s ability to bridge the gap between the powerful and the powerless, and upon its ability to move beyond simple thesis/anti-thesis exchanges, and arrive at synthesis – the product of a true dialogue. The challenge ahead is how civil society can use this new technology to create a new civil dialogue, a new politics, and a new society.

Giampiero Alhadeff is President of the Social Platform, and General Secretary of Solidar – Simon Wilson is Policy Officer at the Social Platform

For an in-depth analysis, see The European Policy Centre Challenge Europe:

Information technology and civil society empowerment.