Page 2 - Information and American Democracy Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

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Information and American Democracy

Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

This book assesses the consequences of new information technologies
for American democracy in a way that is theoretical and also histori-
cally grounded. The author argues that new technologies have produced
the fourth in a series of “information revolutions” in the United States,
stretchingbacktothefounding.Eachofthese,heargues,ledtoimportant
structural changes in politics. After reinterpreting historical American
political development from the perspective of evolving characteristics of
information and political communication, the author evaluates effects
of the Internet and related new media. The analysis shows that the use
of new technologies is contributing to “postbureaucratic” political orga-
nization and fundamental changes in the structure of political interests.
The author’s conclusions tie together scholarship on parties, interest
groups, bureaucracy, collective action, and political behavior with new
theory and evidence about politics in the information age.

Bruce Bimber is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of
the Center for Information Technology and Society at the University of
California in Santa Barbara. He formerly held positions at RAND and
Hewlett-Packard. He is author of The Politics of Expertise in Congress and
numerous articles dealing with technology and politics. He holds a Ph.D.
in political science from MIT and a B.S. in electrical engineering from
Stanford.

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