Making a Difference

This book is a cross-national analysis of the role of the internet in national electoral campaigns. It covers an array of electoral and party systems throughout the globe from parliamentary to presidential, party-based to candidate-oriented, multi-party to two-party, and stable party system to dynamic party system. It takes a look at three groups of nations with varying levels of Internet access--those where internet usage is common across demographic groups, those where usage has reached significant levels but not widespread penetration, and those where internet access is still limited to a small elite. Each chapter is a study of a particular nation, focusing on its electoral and party systems, the accessibility of the Internet to the population, the nature of candidate/party usage, and the effects of the internet on the conduct of campaigns. By reviewing the findings from these studies, Making a Difference draws conclusions about exactly how the internet influences electoral politics.

ISBN 0739121006   Pages 318 ISBN13 9780739121009 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Lexington Books   Weight (grammes) 653 Imprint Lexington Books   Published in Lanham, MD Format Hardback   Series title Lexington Studies in Political Communication Publication date 28 Feb 2008   Height (mm) 244 Library of Congress 2007041115   Width (mm) 160 DEWEY 324.02854678   Spine width (mm) 28 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

		Preface by David Taras
		Introduction by Stephen Ward		1
1		Chile: Promoting the Personal Connection - The Internet and Presidential Election Campaigns by Taylor C. Boas		15
2		Australia: Potential Unfulfilled? The 2004 Election Online by Rachel Gibson and Ian McAllister		35
3		Singapore: Elections and the Internet - Online Activism and Offline Quiescence by Randolph Kluver		57
4		Indonesia: Electoral Politics and the Internet by David T. Hill		75
5		United States: Internet and Elections by Diana Owen and Richard Davis		93
6		Canada: Party Websites and Online Campaigning During the 2004 and 2006 Federal Elections by Tamara A. Small and David Taras and David Danchuk		113
7		The United Kingdom: Parties and the 2005 Virtual Election Campaign - Not Quite Normal? by Stephen Ward and Rachel Gibson and Wainer Lusoli		133
8		Spain: Cyberquake in a Soft Democracy? The Role of the Internet in the 2004 General Elections by Jose-Luis Dader		161
9		Belgium: Websites as Party Campaign Tools - Comparing the 2000 and 2006 Local Election Campaigns by Marc Hooghe and Sara Vissers		171
10		Netherlands: Digital Campaigning in the 2002 and 2003 Parliamentary Elections by Gerrit Voerman and Marcel Boogers		197
11		Italy: The Evolution of E-campaigning 1996-2006 by Sara Bentivegna		217
12		Germany: Online Campaign Professionalism in the 2002 and 2005 National Elections by Eva Johanna Schweitzer		235
		Bibliography		271

There are two ways to explain the impact of the Internet on democratic process. One describes the Internet's role in specific situations. The second attempts to define the concepts that help us better understand this role. These collected studies do bothand do them very well. The volume allows the reader to visualize how and where the integration of the Internet into campaigns and elections has succeeded or failed and, even more importantly, to begin to comprehend why. The breadth of cases is valuable and expansive, representing countries and regions that have not often been studied. Each country case delves deeply into the respective campaign and election systems, providing an engaging and ultimately powerful snapshot of the contemporary state of the impact of technological diffusion on democratic process.. -- Kenneth Rogerson This book is an intellectual feast for all serious Internet scholars, especially comparativists. It describes and analyzes Internet coverage of election campaigning in twelve countries in the Americas, Asia, and Australia. A wide array of political communication issues take on new life when viewed from the perspectives of these politically and culturally diverse nations. -- Doris Graber The Internet is a driving force in globalization--but as this thought-provoking anthology discloses, that doesn't mean internet-campaigning is the same everywhere. Explore the online politics of a dozen nations with the estimable tour guides of Making a Difference. You'll be invigorated by the voyage. -- Cornfield, Michael The analyses are generally competent and interesting, and the editors draw significant comparative conclusions from them. Recommended. Choice, December 2008 A much-needed volume examining the Internet in context across political systems. The contributors make a big stride forward in identifying how properties of technology interact with features of political structure in processes of stasis and change. -- Bimber, Bruce There are two ways to explain the impact of the Internet on democratic process. One describes the Internet's role in specific situations. The second attempts to define the concepts that help us better understand this role. These collected studies do both and do them very well. The volume allows the reader to visualize how and where the integration of the Internet into campaigns and elections has succeeded or failed and, even more importantly, to begin to comprehend why. The breadth of cases is valuable and expansive, representing countries and regions that have not often been studied. Each country case delves deeply into the respective campaign and election systems, providing an engaging and ultimately powerful snapshot of the contemporary state of the impact of technological diffusion on democratic process. -- Kenneth Rogerson

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