Becoming electronic parliamentarians? ICT usage in the Swedish Riksdag

Authors: Lindh, M. and Miles, L.

Journal: Journal of Legislative Studies

Volume: 13

Issue: 3

Pages: 422-440

eISSN: 1743-9337

ISSN: 1357-2334

DOI: 10.1080/13572330701500896

Abstract:

This article, drawing upon a quantitative survey of over 80 parliamentarians, as well as website surveys combined with qualitative interviews, explores the degree of usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by Swedish parliamentarians. It also begins to consider any implications for party organisations and parliamentary authorities. The authors suggest that, by 2005, Swedish MPs were becoming ‘electronic parliamentarians’ and that this, combined with the growing usage of political blogs, places increasing demands upon party organisations and the Riksdag to consider the broader management and accountability issues of greater ICT usage by individual MPs. The authors argue that there is a pressing requirement for further research on these organisational and institutional dimensions by scholars of legislative studies, particularly, given the developments in ICT-advanced political systems, like Sweden. © 2007, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source: Scopus