HOW WELL DO VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS PERFORM ON THE WEB AS DEMOCRATIC ACTORS

Voluntary organizations are key actors within contemporary democratic polities. To be so raises crucial questions about their performance along three dimensions of democratic behaviour – their citizen engagement, their legitimacy, and their public accountability. These questions of performance are made sharper as the World Wide Web brings forward new imperatives and opportunities for these organizations to perform along each of these three dimensions. This article develops and sets out an analytical framework through which an evaluation can begin of whether and how voluntary organizations are using the Web to support and enhance their engagement along these three democratic dimensions.