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This chapter reviews proposed reforms intended to make the American democratic system more participatory, and examines the role that new communications technologies might play in improving democratic participation. In the words of Benjamin Barber, the failure of American democracy has ‘become the tedious cliché with which we flaunt our hard pressed modernity’ (Barber 1984: xii). Negative political campaigns, undue influence of special interests, and campaign financing scandals suggest that our democratic system is in crisis (Southwell 1986; Dionne 1991; Chen 1992; Ansolabehere 1994). There is little agreement, however, regarding the sources of democratic failure, much less the appropriate means to reform the democratic system. Lack of specificity about the shortcomings of our democratic system has muddled the debate regarding the political effects of new technologies.
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