An outsider’s point of view on the reluctance by most governments to embrace social media and new digital methods of citizen participation. From Anthony Williams, Is government ready for the Web 2.0 era?:

“…Lets face it; democracy is hard. The act of making policy is inevitably easier when conducted away from the critical eye of interest groups, the media, and ordinary citizens. Truly representative and fully-engaged democratic decision-making has so far proven next to impossible in all but the smallest and most committed organizations. As more and more critical issues escape the confines of local and national jurisdictions, however, the democratic deficit will only widen. That is why it is imperative that we envision and enact new ways to harness communication technologies to narrow that gap before the very legitimacy and effectiveness of government collapses. …”

Pointer from Martin Hofmann.