Click On Democracy: The Internet's Power To Change Political Apathy Into Civic Action

by Steve Davis, Larry Elin, Grant Reeher

Click on Democracy examines the first national election in which the Internet played a major role. The contributors argue that the Internet’s most profound political impact on Election 2000 has largely been missed or underestimated. The reason: the difference it made was more social than electoral, more about building political communities than about generating votes and money.Voter turnout has dwindled over the past forty years, and fewer Americans are involved in civic activities. The real story of the Internet is its emergence as a community builder � under the radar of most political observers who focus on large institutions � in a society that has become politically disengaged and disenchanted. The contributors to Click on Democracy talk at length with the people who are using the Internet in new and effective ways, and who are capitalizing on the Internet’s power as a networking tool for civic action. Viewed from this bottom-up perspective, the Internet emerges as an exciting and powerful source of renewal for civic engagement.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2002

About the author

Steve Davis is Senior Strategy Advisor and Interim China Country Office Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the World Economic Forum, serves as co-chair of the World Health Organization's Digital Health Technical Advisory Group and is a member of numerous boards and advisory committees. He is the former president & CEO of PATH, a leading global health innovation organization; former Director of Social Innovation at McKinsey & Company, a global consultancy; and former CEO of Corbis, a digital media pioneer. With degrees from Princeton University, University of Washington and Columbia Law School, he speaks and writes regularly about the intersection of innovation, technology and social impact. He lives with his family in Seattle, Washington.