Democratic Effects of the Internet

Article: Jacob Groshek, Iowa State University. “Democratic Effects of the Internet”, the International Communication Gazette, 2009.

URL = http://www.indiana.edu/~cpcr/Groshek.pdf

large-N quantitative study

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"Using macro-level panel data on 152 countries from 1994 to 2003 and multi regression models, Jacob found that “increased Internet diffusion was a meaningful predictor of more democratic regimes.” This democratic effect was greater in countries that were at least partially democratic where the Internet was more prevalent. In addition, the association between Internet diffusion and democracy was statistically significant in “developing countries where the average level of sociopolitical instability was much higher.”

The author thus concludes that policy makers should consider the democratic potential of the Internet but be mindful of unintended consequences in countries under authoritarian rule. In other words, “the democratic potential of the Internet is great, but that actual effects might be limited because Internet diffusion appears conditional upon national-level democracy itself.” (http://irevolution.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/democratic-effects-of-the-internet-latest-findings/)