World Summit on the Information Society

The initiatives that have been adopted to improve e-government in Latin America primarily focus on improving online services and state administration. Citizens, however, remain unable to participate in the decision-making process because this dimension, which is at least as important if not more then the previous one, has been left aside. As a starting point for reflecting on the issue, APC’s Valeria Betancourt affirms that ICT and e-government initiatives do not generate greater participat...

This article argues that there were at least four factors at play — the US’s “very strong hand” played well; the lack of EU commitment to change; finding a diplomatic way to leave this issue for a future fight; and the fact that the “deal may not be as great for the U.S. as the current spin suggests”.