Transforming e-democracy for equity and social justice: We Decide

Purpose – The purpose of editorial to this special issue is this to introduce “We Decide”, a grassroots e-democracy learnscape. This timely collaborative initiative was conceptualized to promote the deployment of internet communication technologies (ICTs) for advancing social justice and equity in an increasingly digitized era. The special issue presents six individually selected papers delivered at the IADIS International Conference e-democracy, Equity and Social Justice held in Rome, Italy, 20-22 July 2011. These papers provide examples of unique innovations that highlight new possibilities and directions for e-democracy that are grounded in an ethos of greater equity and social justice. Design/methodology/approach – The authors outline the mission and approach of “We Decide” and how it can be understood in the evolution of e-democracy. Findings – The authors discuss how the six papers in this special issue suggest ways to transform e-democracy towards equity and social justice. Research limitations/implications – These papers help researchers and practitioners extend the concept of e-democracy from a variety of perspectives, and show the importance of thinking about e-democracy as access to resources for all citizens. Originality/value – Given the increasing policy demands for effective e-democracy and active citizenship online through new and emerging social networking technologies, the knowledge produced by “We Decide” brings together researchers, practitioners and activists from across the world. It provides a robust platform to share innovations that challenge us to rethink and re-research the core concepts and approaches necessary to transform e-democracy to realize equity and social justice.