Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Publication

Whither Deliberation? Mass e-Mail Campaigns and U.S. Regulatory Rulemaking

Abstract
Mass e-mail campaigns are the organizational tool of choice for environmental activists seeking to inform and mobilize their constituencies. Some democratic theorists and reformers pin their hopes for more responsive and informed government policy on Internet-enhanced dialogue and debate. Electronic advocacy campaigns and action alerts are changing the nature and scope of public deliberation in contentious federal rulemaking. This paper examines the new digital landscape of electronic rulemaking through a case study of the recent mercury rulemaking at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Results are presented from an effort to code a sample of 1,000 e-mails selected at random from a dataset of approximately half a million. Particular attention is paid to the unique additions made to form letters.
Type
research
article
Date
2006-01-01
Publisher
Degree
Advisors
Rights
License
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Embargo
DOI
Publisher Version
Embedded videos