World Forum for Democracy 2013
Re-wiring Democracy: connecting institutions and citizens in the digital age
Strasbourg, 23-29 November 2013
Global trends point to a worldwide decline in the level of trust in democratic systems. Voter turnout rates and party membership are falling across the world. What we are witnessing is not only political apathy but a sense of betrayal felt by ordinary citizens towards their leaders.
The World Forum for Democracy reviewed the potential of Internet-based democracy applications to restore citizens’ trust by making government more open and transparent and to increase motivation for political participation by shifting power from structures and organisations (parties, NGOs, trade unions, traditional media) to individuals and ad-hoc groups.