Systems Thinking and E-Participation: ICT in the Governance of Society Jose Rodrigo Cordoba-Pachón University of London, UK Alejandro Elias Ochoa-Arias Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela InformatIon scIence reference Hershey • New York Director of Editorial Content: Senior Managing Editor: Assistant Managing Editor: Publishing Assistant: Typesetter: Cover Design: Printed at: Kristin Klinger Jamie Snavely Michael Brehm Sean Woznicki Kurt Smith Lisa Tosheff Yurchak Printing Inc. Published in the United States of America by Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global) 701 E. Chocolate Avenue Hershey PA 17033 Tel: 717-533-8845 Fax: 717-533-8661 E-mail:
[email protected] Web site: http://www.igi-global.com/reference Copyright © 2010 by IGI Global. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher. Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Systems thinking and e-participation : ICT in the governance of society / Jose Rodrigo Cordoba-Pachon and Alejandro Elias Ochoa-Arias, editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: "This book provides a systemic-based inquiry platform to explore boundaries, limits, and advantages of information and communication technology use in the public decision making processes"--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-60566-860-4 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-60566-861-1 (ebook) 1. Internet in public administration--Cross-cultural studies. 2. Political participation--Computer networks--Cross-cultural studies. 3. Communication in politics. I. Cordoba-Pachon, Jose-Rodrigo. II. Ochoa-Arias, Alejandro. JF1525.A8S98 2010 352.3'802854678--dc22 2009035156 British Cataloguing in Publication Data A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. All work contributed to this book is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors, but not necessarily of the publisher. Advances in Electronic Government Research Series (AEGR) ISBN: 1935-3073 Editor-in-Chief: Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. E-Government Research: Policy and Management Donald Norris; University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA IGI Publishing • copyright 2007 • 300+ pp • H/C (ISBN: 978-1-59904-913-7) Virtual technology is increasingly prevalent in all spheres of daily life, including infiltration into governmental policies, processes, infrastructures, and frameworks. E-Government Research: Policy and Management provides scholars and practitioners with a critical mass of research on the integration, management, implications, and application of e-government. Covering such issues as e-government adoption and diffusion; social and performance issues of e-government; and information security, privacy, and policy, this book is an essential resource to any library collection. Current Issues and Trends in E-Government Research Donald Norris; University of Maryland Baltimore County CyberTech Publishing • copyright 2007 • 319 pp • H/C (ISBN: 1-59904-283-5) As emerging trends and research threads surface in the area of e-government, academicians, practitioners, and students face the challenge of keeping up-to-date with new and innovative practices. Current Issues and Trends in E-Government Research provides a complete synopsis of the latest technologies in informat