ICT mediated citizen engagement

This paper examines the nature of e-governance in India, presents the implications of the changing nature of governance and state-citizen engagement particularly for groups at the margins, and makes suggestions for a digitalisation that strengthens participatory democracy in the country.

The synthesis report of the multi-country research study titled 'the Voice or Chatter project' explores how ICT-mediated citizen engagement can promote democratic governance and amplify citizens’ voices. Digital choices for democracy can empower or disempower citizens; they can present citizens with real alternatives for equality, thereby…

In 2017, the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) commissioned IT for Change to undertake a research study critically analysing the government's Digital India programme, assessing the key gaps and opportunities for gender equality in relation to the programme and recommending a strategic action plan in this regard.

The mandate of the study…

Privacy is no longer just about non-interference from the State but an urgent imperative in the age of digital where citizen data protection is vulnerable to incomplete legal safeguards. Read more on this in our take on the Aadhaar Act in First Post.

IT for Change along with Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), Digital Empowerment Foundation, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) organized a workshop on "Democratic Accountability in the Digital Age", between November 14-15th 2016, in New Delhi.

The workshop was a great…

IT for Change participated in The Voice or Chatter project from 2016 to 2017 as part of the Making All Voices Count (MAVC) consortium. The research network comprised collaborators from across the globe including South Africa, Philippines, India, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. MAVC was a four-year global program focused on…

This paper summarises the key issues in the current digital governance scenario in India. It focusses on emerging technological practices in government and articulates the gaps in current legal-policy measures necessary to promote participatory democracy in the digital age.

Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director, IT for Change was a Panelist at the IGF 2016 Main Session, Connecting Human Rights - Emphasising Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the Internet. In her intervention, she stressed the critical imperative to move beyond the binary of the online and offline, in our imaginary of rights…

This paper examines and discuss these shifts in our contemporary democratic fabric by focusing on emerging technological practices in government. It explores key concerns, and articulates the gaps in current legal-policy measures necessary to promote participatory democracy in the digital age.

The Internet has now become an enabler of rights and an essential precondition for full participation in the information society. However, issues of corporate and state surveillance, and the enormous influence that corporate policies have on the way our fundamental rights are exercised, exhorts us to embark on an urgent…