Democracy Research in the Digital Age

Abstract

Technological developments have long influenced what democracy researchers study – for instance how political will formation processes are affected by technology (e.g. Wilhelm 2000, Selb and Munzert, 2018). But the digital age not only comes with a change in how certain mechanisms work but also with numerous new possibilities for researchers, both in terms of data that can be analyzed and in the tools that can be leveraged (e.g. Kneuer and Milner 2019, Salganik 2019). Among others, first, information is more easily accessible via the internet. For instance, roll call data and protocols of parliamentary debates, newspaper articles of the past and the present and other existing sources are readily available in large quantities. Second, digitalization generates information that did not exist before. Particularly, there are vast amounts of data on individuals’ interactions that are a by-product of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, or Parler. Third, digitalization enables researchers to utilize analytical and methodological approaches that are computationally demanding. This panel seeks to bring attention to how technological advances provide new or nuanced understanding of democracy and democratic processes. It presents exemplary political science research studying democracy using the research tools of the digital age and/or novel conceptualizations that facilitate their application.

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