Drawing voluntary organisations into the information polity: information resources and macro politics

This article examines the ways that voluntary organisations are re-positioning as democratic actors as they are drawn into new (electronic) relationships with government. Drawing upon our own empirical research we examine the new information resources and requirements that are emerging around these organisations as this re-positioning is played out. We look, too, at the emergent information relationships and capabilities that are enabled as voluntary organisations begin to harness information and communication technologies (ICTs) in pursuit of democratic objectives. Employing the concept of the ‘information polity’ we map out a framework for the sustained empirical enquiry that will allow new patterns of influence to be mapped and understood.