Access to Information and Public Participation in Decision-making

Public participation has positive implications for good governance, as a broader and more comprehensive notion of government and its. administration than the term "government" has usually implied. Participation involves "enabling people to realize their rights to participate in, and access information relating to, the decision-making processes that affect their lives", and specifically, to influence details of policy legislation, and to monitor their implementation. In this context, the United Nations (UN) has stressed the need for governments to strive towards harnessing the power of information and technology (IT), to reduce the digital divide, and to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies (ICTs) are available to all. The significance of ICT is not limited to economic activities; an appropriate set of tools could also be of great value for governments, to strengthen their ability to monitor and manage many aspects of public administration, from management and maintenance of land ownership records, monitoring local development and local environmental conditions, planning urban infrastructure, managing local public markets, etc. The use of ICT in support of government administration offers significant time and cost-savings compared to traditional practices in the provision of government services, while also provides support for greater transparency and accountability in government. In addition to its significance in the areas of business and public administration, the knowledge economy is making possible important new opportunities for access to vital information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice and the law. It should be pointed out that countries are ranked on their e-government readiness, which is measured in the components such as online service, telecommunication infrastructure, human capital and E-participation. ICTs have the ability to transform the communications process between participants from these fields and their communities. These modern technologies create new channels of contact and communications that reduce the barriers to civic engagement. E-government developments in the on-line delivery of public services are also providing the communications infrastructure for citizen engagement electronically and increasingly governments are engaging citizens for feedback via websites. Furthermore, decision-makers are soliciting information and knowledge from the constituents on-line and in real-time, seeking to respond more efficiently to those constituents. The aim of this article is to outline the scope for E-participation in order to inform and promote the construction of a self-assessment tool.