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IssueBrief
ISSUENO.466MAY2021
©2021ObserverResearchFoundation.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copied,archived,retainedortransmittedthroughprint,speechorelectronicmediawithoutpriorwrittenapprovalfromORF.
TowardsInformedDiscourseandVoterEducation:ACritiqueofE-Campaigns
ArchitLohaniand
PriyalPandey
Abstract
Digitalspacesarebecomingincreasinglyvitalforpublicdeliberationonissuesofsharedinterest,includingduringelectoralcampaigns.Thisbriefexaminesthetypesofdiscourseonsocialmediaplatformsthatelectoralcandidatesengagein.Itstudiesthecontentoftheonlinecampaignsandtheirpotentialimpactonvotereducation,andrecommendscountermeasuresagainstthethreatofuninformedandunethicalonlinenarrativesthatonlyencouragepolarisation,ratherthangenuinediscourse.
Attribution:ArchitLohaniandPriyalPandey,“TowardsInformedDiscourseandVoterEducation:ACritique
ofE-Campaigns,”ORFIssueBriefNo.466,May2021,ObserverResearchFoundation.
01
Introduction
Inthelastfewyears,onlineplatformshavestartedoutstrippingtraditionalprintmediaassourcesofnewsandotherinformationarelevantduringelectoralcampaigns.1Theseplatformsenabledirectinteractionbetweenthecandidateandthetargetvoters.Publicperceptioniskeyinelections,2afterall,andtheopticsofone’scampaigncanbedirectlylinkedtothe
informationthatismadeavailabletovoters.Socialmedia,inparticular,areakeytoolforelectoralcandidatesastheyfacilitateeasyandeffectiveonlineengagement.3
TheElectionCommissionofIndia(ECI)hasrecognisedtheneedtonotonlyencouragehighervotingturnoutsbuttoalsopromoteatrulyparticipative,informedandethicalvoting.In2009,itlaunchedtheSystematicVoters’EducationandElectoralParticipation,itsflagshipprogrammeforvotereducation.Morethanadecadesince,however,theECIhasyettocreateeffectivemechanismstorespondtothemisuseofsocialmediaforelectioncampaigns.Thereexistsalegalframeworkforaddressingtraditional,“offline”abuseslikeboothcapturingandvote-buying;butasimilarmechanismisabsentfornewerformsofmalpracticethathaveevolvedononlineplatforms.Theseactivitiesincludeinformationtamperingbygovernmentagencies,politicalparties,privatefirms,media,andinfluencers;4disseminationofhatespeech;5misinformation;6voterprofiling;andblackpropaganda.7
TheSupremeCourt(SC)ofIndiahaslaiddownafundamentalprinciple:thatavoter’srighttofreespeechentailsarighttoreceiveinformationaswell.8TheSCarguedthatsuchinformationenablescriticalthinking,andthereby,informeddecision-making.However,thereisnolegalstandardagainstmisleading,manipulative,orfalseinformationsharedonlinebygovernmentauthorities,candidatesorevenparties.TheECI,andothergovernmentagencieswithjurisdictionovertheseissues,havenotbeenswiftenoughtoaddressthechallengesposedbytechnologicaltools.Theevolvingformsofmisuseofonlineplatformsforpoliticalgainsremainoverlooked.
Thisbriefanalysesthepredominantformsofonlinediscourseduringelectionsandwhetherornottheypromoteissue-based,informedvoting.Thebrieffocusesontwoelectioncampaigns—theIndiangeneralelectionsof2019andtheDelhistateelectionsin2020—andcombedtheTwitterplatformforthe
Thisbriefusestheterm‘information’torefertofacts,news,opinion,statistics,anycontent,ordatathathelpsavotertointerpretthequalityofacandidate/politicalparty.Thiscouldincludeonlinereportageordiscourserelatedtothecandidate’spastwork,identity,education,awarenessoftheconstituency/state/country,plannedorimplementedpolicies,party’smanifesto,andcriminalrecord.
3
Introduction
evaluation.Thebriefaimstooutlinethetypologyofinformationdisseminatedbyvariouspoliticalparties,mediapractitioners,andpartycandidatestointeractwithvoterswhofrequentdigitalspaces.
TheoreticalFramework
Onlinespaceshavebeen“democratised”inIndiawithgreateraffordabilityofsmartphonesandsomeoftheworld’scheapestdataplans,leadingtoanenormousincreaseinrecentyearsintheplatformuserbase.9,10,11Indeed,analystshavereferredtothe2019nationalpollsasthe‘WhatsAppElections’,12forthewideuseofthemessagingappbycandidatesinbringingtheircampaignstomassivenumbersoftargetvoters.13Forafewyearsbeforethat,certaincandidatesandpoliticalpartiesstartedexpandingtheirdigitaloutreach,operatingtheirelectoralcampaignswiththeconvenienceoftoolslikeadvertisementsandsponsoredcontentonsocialmediaplatforms.
TheCentrefortheStudyofDevelopingSocieties(CSDS),ina2019report,highlightedtheIndianpublic’sincreasingpoliticalparticipationonsocialmediaplatforms.Atthesametime,thestudysaid,thereisstillalackofevidenceofatangibleandsubstantialinfluenceoftheseplatformsonelections.14Thereportexplorestwokeyfindingsthathintofthegrowingimpactofinformationsharingonline:(a)socialmediausersweremoreopinionatedthannon-users;and(b)“theawarenesswasfoundtobedecliningamonguserswithdeclineintheusage.”b
OtherstudiesoutsideofIndia,meanwhile,havearguedthattheinfluenceofplatformsoncitizen’sperceptionofpoliticiansandpoliticalissuesisevident.15,16Bothperspectives,whileagreeingthatthereisincreasingrelianceonplatformsforconsumingpoliticalinformation,disagreeonitstrueimpact.17
Otherstudieshaveattemptedtocontextualisetheuseofsocialmediainthelargerquestionofpoliticaloutreach.Onesuchstudy,publishedbytheACMCOMPASS,18questionsthebinaryunderstandingofpoliticaldiscourse.Itarguesthatalthoughapoliticianmayprimarilycommunicatethroughaspecificplatformwithaparticularaudience,thesaidinformationoftenreachesthemainstreampopulationthroughtraditionalmedia.Stillotherstudieshavefound
The‘awareness’inthestudywaslimitedtoonlinetrendingissuesandsloganslike“#MeinbhiChokidar”andtheBalakotstrikes.
4
Introduction
alonghistoryofthemisuseofsocialmediaplatformstoinfluencedemocraticdialogue,especiallyduringelections.,19InIndia,aspecificareaofconcernisWhatsApp,whichhasoftenbeencalleda“blackhole”ofdisinformationduringelections.20Abiggercontextcouldbethat,asMicrosoft’sdigitalcivilityindexhasfound,Indiansaremostlikelytoencountermisinformationonline.21
Indeed,socialmediaplatformshaveevolvedfromprovidingpublicutilityfunctionsforitsend-userstoalsobeinggatekeepersofnewsandinformation.22Theseplatforms’abilitytoaggregatenarrativesforthevotermakethemapotentialthreattotheautonomyofelections.23Variousstudies,includingthoseinurbanIndia,havefoundthatthebuildingofnarrativesandperceptionsinsocialmediaisassistedbycuratingfavourablepoliticaldialoguethroughtheemploymentofrhetoric,24propaganda,clientelisticpromises,candidentityandvotebankpolitics.25
Thepotencyinsocialmediaplatformsliesintheirspeed:anMITstudy,forinstance,hasunderlinedthatmisinformation,inparticular,tendstospread“farther,faster,anddeeper”ontheseplatforms.26Moreover,platformalgorithmsprioritisecertaintypesofcontentoveranother,assensationalistspeechgarnersmoreengagementonline.
Thereisalegalframeworkforaddressingtraditional,‘offline’abuseslikevote-buying;asimilarmechanismisabsentfornewformsofmalpracticeononlineplatforms.
“Clientelism”referstoanimplicitorexplicitpromiseofgoodsandservicesforpoliticalsupport.
5
ElectionsSpotlightonIndian
ThisbriefanalysesthetypesofinformationpromotedonTwitterrightbeforethe2019LokSabhaelections,dandthe2020stateelections.eThesampledtweetswereclassifiedaccordingtothefollowing:campaignorpropaganda;divisiveorconspiratorial;policy-relateddiscourse(supportorcriticism).Thetweets
examinedforthesentimentanalysiscouldfallundermultiplecategories:e.g.,bothcampaignorpropaganda;anddivisiveorconspiratorial.
FindingsandAnalysis
Figure1:
Campaign-relatedtweets,bycategory,
LokSabhaelections2019
80
77
70
67
60
29.33%
46
50
44.66%
40
30
20
10
0
Campaigningor
Divisiveor
Policy-related
Propaganda
Conspiratorial
discourse
*Totalsamplesizeoftweets=150
LokSabhaElections(2019)-tweetswerecollatedfromstakeholdersbeforeelections,from11March2019(thedayofpartynomination)to11April2019(thefirstdayofpolling).Atotalof744tweetsacross73trendinghashtagswererecorded.Thereafter,topreventanypoliticalorideologicalbiases
inthefindings,150tweetswererandomlyshortlistedthroughtheprocessofrandomisationonthesoftwareR.
DelhiStateElections(2020)–focusedonthethreemainpoliticalpartiesinthecapital:AamAadmiParty(AAP),BharatiyaJanataParty(BJP),andINC.Fromeach,10standingcandidateswiththehighestTwitterfollowerswereshortlisted.Overall,300tweetswereanalysedfromarandomisedsetoftentweetspercandidate.Thetimelinewasfrom24January2020(lastdateforwithdrawalofnomination)to6February2020(lastdayofcampaigningallowedforpoliticiansbeforepolling).
6
ElectionsSpotlightonIndian
Asignificantproportionofthenarrativeswerenon-policycriticism,conspiratorialspeech,anddivisivediscourse;thenfollowedbyblindcampaigningorpropaganda.Intermsofconstructivediscussion,lessthanone-thirdoftheanalysedtweetsengagedinanyformofpolicy-relateddiscussion.
Figure2:
Campaign-relatedtweets,bycategory,
DelhiStateelections2020
300
255
250
200
150
100
64
50
50
0
Campaigningor
Divisiveor
Policy-related
Propaganda
Conspiratorial
discourse
**Totalsamplesizeoftweets=300
AsimilarpatternwasobservedintheDelhielection.ItwasassumedinsomemediadebatesthatDelhielectionswereprimarilyperformance-basedandendorsedpolicyissuessuchaseducation,water,andelectricitysupply.27Thedatashows,however,thatpolicywasanunder-discussedtopicwhencomparedwithothercategories.
7
ElectionsSpotlightonIndian
Duringboththeelections,politicalpartiesandcandidatesdeployedsocialmediatechniques.Forexample,positivemeasureshighlightinggoodwillnature,hardworkingattributesandexemplarystatesmanshipwereundertakenthroughvideos,interviews,andadvertisements.fFortheirpart,negativemeasures(withinthescopeofthisanalysis)identifiedasgeneric-blindcampaigning,unethicalornon-policydiscussions,alsocontributedtoinformationdumpingonTwitter.
Boththe2019LokSabhaelectionandtheDelhielectionthefollowingyearexhibitedsimilarpatternsinthewaysocialmediawasutilisedbycandidatesandtheirparties.Thefollowingpointssummarisethosetrends.
Therewasahighpercentageoftweetsinthecategoryof‘campaigningandpropaganda’duringbothelections,withrarementionandfocusonmanifestos,policy,orpastperformance.Mostofthetweetsfollowedthebandwagonofblindcampaigningwithoutprovidinganyinsightsintothe(futureorpast)policyplansandremainedlimitedtoself-praise.
Todiminish,belittleandtarnishanopponent’scandidature,‘divisiveandconspiratorialtweets’werealsolargelyutilised,contributingtounconstructiverhetoricandexclusionarynarratives.Evencriticismremainedlimitedtoindividualsoridentities,ratherthanpolicies.
Othernegativemeasuressuchasmisinformation,“junknews”,28misinformation,andhatespeechwerealsoemployedtoweakenothercandidatures.29,30,31Theyareoutsidethescopeofthisanalysis.
Tobesure,theuseofrhetorictovilifyorcreateanexclusionarynarrativeisnotanewphenomenon.Politicaldiscoursehaslongbeenweaponisedandtargetedtogarneremotionalresponseswith“themvs.us”narratives.32Charteris-Black,ascholarof‘politicsandrhetoric’,explains:“Whilemetaphors–suchasthatofdarknessandlightandthepersonification‘strippedofourinsistence’–providetheframeoftheargument,thepersuasiveeffectofConvictionRhetoricisproducedbytheirinteractionwithcontrast,rhetoricalquestions,andpatternsofrepetitionandreiteration.”33
Forinstance-DelhiBJPITCellpartneredwithpoliticalcommunicationsfirmTheIdeazFactorytocreate“positivecampaigns”usingdeepfakestoreachdifferentlinguisticvoterbases.ItmarkedthedebutofdeepfakesinelectioncampaignsinIndia.
8
ElectionsSpotlightonIndian
Fromthecasestudiesusedinthisbrief,itisclearthataplatformlikeTwitter—whichintheorycanofferspaceforgenuinepoliticaldiscourse—wasnotusedinsuchamannerduringhighlyengagingtimeframes.SimilarinsightswerederivedbytheOxfordUniversity-basedProgrammeonDemocracyandTechnologyinitsexaminationofthe2019elections:itfoundhighpenetrationofjunknews,andofdivisive,conspiratorial,andpolarisingnarrativesonWhatsappandFacebook.34Candidateswereoftenobservedtoemploytechniquesthatdeterdiscussiononpoliciesenshrinedintheirmanifestos,astheyfocusedoncampaigningalongthelinesofidentitypoliticsandusingconspiratorialordivisivespeech.Thisdisruptsthe‘trickle-down’modelofinformation,askeyaspectsofpoliciesdidnotreachthevoters,inturnencouraginguninformeddecision-making.Potentially,thequalityofvotedeterioratesbyattachingprimacytoindicatorslike‘identity’abovepolicies.
Similarly,overrelianceoncampaigningandpropagandaisfurtheringbiased,misleading,unethical,uninformed,ormanipulativeinformation.Thiscanoverwhelmvoterswithsurplusinformationthatiscounterintuitivetoone’scriticalthinkingandisindirectcontradictiontotheobjectivesoftheECI’svotereducationprogramme.Eventechniqueslikeblindcampaigningmaybeharmlessbutcontinuetodisseminatenon-constructiveinformationamongvotersthatengageorconsumeinformationonline.Theyalsocontributeto‘noise’thatonlydiminishescriticalthinking.
Intherun-uptothe2019LokSabhaelectionsandtheDelhistatepollstheyearafter,Twitterwasusedmoreforpropaganda,andlessforpolicydiscussion.
9
TurnoutsIndia:
Votingisregardedasafundamentalrightthatallowscitizenstobepartofapoliticalcommunity.A‘righttovote’,inturn,assumestheeffectiveexerciseofsucharightwithduediligence.Asmentionedbrieflyearlier,theSupremeCourtofIndiahasopinedthatavoterisentitledtoinformationabouttheantecedentsofacandidateand
theprocessofcastingavoteisafacetoftheirfreedomofspeechandexpression.35EvenduringtheConstituentAssemblydebates,B.R.Ambedkarhadarguedfortheimportanceof“quality-voting”.WhileintroducingtheprincipleofUniversalAdultFranchiseasavotingright,Ambedkarexplaineditasatoolforpoliticaleducation,equalmembershipinthepolity,andpoliticalcorrectness.g,36Accesstorelevantinformationlikemanifestos,pastperformance,qualification,andparty-policyawarenessisnecessarytoeducatevoters.Thisaccessnotonlyguaranteestheupliftmentofvotequalitybutalsoempowersvoterswithinformationthatisnecessarytoexpresstheirpoliticalwill.
in
HighVoterEducation
Identity-basedpoliticsorclientelisticpoliciesoftenrewardbytippingvotingpreferences.37Thisallowsvoterperceptiontobemanipulatedandmischaracterisedbygivingprimacytoagroupidentityoverthecandidate’s
performanceorqualifications.38,39,40
Thisiscommonasvoterstypicallylackaccesstonecessaryinformation.A2011studytitled,“DoInformedVotersMakeBetterChoices?ExperimentalEvidencefromUrbanIndia,”arguesthateducationaboutperformance-basedindicatorscan
Duringthe
ConstitutionalAssemblydebates,BRAmbedkarexplainedthe‘righttovote’asatoolfor
politicaleducation,andequalmembershipinthepolity.
BeyondVoter
changeelectionoutcomes.41Informationaboutperformance-basedindicatorsenableschangeinelectoralbehaviourtoselectbetterperformers.42Additionally,withbetteraccesstoqualityinformation,votersareincentivisedtovote,resultinginbetterturnoutnumbers.43,44
Atthattime‘politicalcorrectness’referredtocollectiveactionagainstthewrongscommittedbytheBritishbutwiththeforesightofempoweringvoterstoassistinthesocio-politicaldecisionsbyelectingidealrepresentativesinthefuture.
10
BeyondHighVoterTurnoutsVoterEducationinIndia:
Otherrecognisedbenefitsofarobustvotereducationmodelinclude:accesstocorrectinformation;reductioninelectoralmalpractices;prioritisationofdevelopmentoveridentity-basedpolitics;movebeyondpreconceivednotions;qualitydeliberationandcriticalthinking;andlessincidenceofpreferentialidentity-basedvoting.Essentially,votereducationnecessitatesaccesstoinformationthatfacilitatescriticalthinking,pavingthewaytoinformedchoice.
Aseveryindividualenjoyssimilarrightsofvoting,votereducationhasthecapacitytobreakidentitybarriersinpolitics.Itallowsdiverseparticipationandinclusivityforwiderengagementbetweenthecitizensthemselves,ratherthanthroughself-appointedgatekeepers.Forexample,researchonperformance-basedindicatorsfoundthatthenumberofdrinkingwaterprojectsinareaswithwomen-ledpanchayats(localcouncils)was62percenthigherthaninthosewithmen-ledcouncils.45Therefore,realigningpoliticalinterestswithperformance-basedindicatorscanself-correctlocalgovernancemodelsandpromotebetterpoliticiansfrommarginalisedcommunities.AneffectiveVoterEducationmodelhasthepotentialtoinstitutionaliseameritocratic,policy-basedelectoralcampaigningthatinstallsperformance-basedincumbency.
Atthesametime,evenasvotereducationisanimperativeforaneffectiverighttovote,itisbynomeanssufficient.Itisanessentialcomponenttoassistinformedandethicaldecision-makingtoaddressvoteraspirations.‘RighttoVote’itselfnecessitatestheimperativeofethicalandinformedvotingthroughchoice,awareness,andaccesstorelevantinformation.Votereducationhasthecapacitytorealise,changethequality,scope,andthekindofgovernmentcitizens’desire.
Votereducationnecessitatesaccesstoinformationthatfacilitatescriticalthinking,pavingthewaytoinformedchoice.
11
RegulatoryChallenges
Withincreasingdigitalisation,socialmediaplatformshavebecomehostsofpublicforumsthatarenecessaryfordeliberationanddirectpoliticalinteraction.However,theveryalgorithmicdesignoftheseplatforms—whichcuratepersonaliseduser-feedsandconductuserprofiling—has
non-democraticimplications.Algorithmssolidifyhomogeneousinformationecosystemsthatenhancesimilarinterestsfrompastpreferences,tocurate“engaging”userfeeds,resultingintheincubationofwhatarecalledecho-chambers.46,47Thislimitsthescopeofcriticalthinkingandcounter-speech,furthermakingitdifficulttoperceiveadverseinformation.Coupledwithpoliticalbots,unregulatedsponsoredcontent,theabsenceoffact-checkingpolitical
advertisements,userprofiling,andsusceptibilitytoforeigninterference—theseposehugethreatsofplatformmisuse.
A2020studybyReutersInstitutehighlightedthatalthoughonly20percentofmisinformationwassharedbypoliticians,celebrities,andotherprominentpublicfigures,itcontributedtothelargestchunkofresharedandengagedcontent(69percent).48Thistop-down(mis)informationmodelreflectsaspecialpersuasivepoweryieldedbypoliticalfigureheads.Meanwhile,a2020studybyWashington-basedCenterforDemocracyandTechnologynotedthatthiscanresultinvotersuppression.49
Atpresent,thereisnolegalstandardagainstanytypeofill-speechsharedonline.A2021studybyOxfordInternetInstitutefoundIndiangovernmentagenciesandpoliticalinstitutionsdirectlylinkedtosponsoringcomputationalpropaganda.h,50Toensuretransparencyandaccountability,thenatureofalgorithmshasalsowarrantedadebateintothegrowing“public”roleof“platform-ised”speech.Thecurrentapproachavoidsanyconcretestructuralorcontent-basedregulationsforplatformsorpoliticalinstitutions.Itpredominantlydictatesself-regulation,withoutimplicatinganyresponsibledutiesorliability.
ComputationalPropagandaisaformofpoliticalmanipulationthattakesplaceonlineusinginternettoolslikesocialmediaplatformsandalgorithms.
12
RegulatoryChallenges
Toensurefreeandfairelections,theModelCodeofConduct(MCC)underlinesrulesforspeeches,portfolios,manifestos,processions,andgeneralconduct.Rulesofcampaigndoapplytosocialmediainteractionsbutarelimitedtopoliticalpartiesandpoliticiansbutnottheiragents.TheMCCisneitherlegallyenforceablenorisitapplicablethroughouttheyear,exceptforamonthbeforetheelectionsorsometimesevenless.51TheMCChasevolvedovertheyearstoencompassvariousissuesofelectoralmalpracticebutduetoitsperiodicandnon-bindingnature,itisregularlyfloutedandoffendersarenotheldaccountable.TheStandingCommitteeonPersonnel,PublicGrievances,LawandJustice,recommendedmakingMCCapartoftheRepresentationofthePeopleAct,1951(RPA)toensureitsenforceability.TheECIalsolaidinstructionsforregistrationofaccounts,pre-certificationofpoliticaladvertisementsandexpendituredisclosure.52However,duetothesheervolumeofinformationshared,itrendersanymonitoringineffectiveanddiscountstheroleofhiredagentsorotheraffiliatedmachinery.53
Acomprehensiveapproachtocurbthemisuseofsocialmediaplatformswasoverlookeduntiltherecent"VoluntaryCodeofEthicsforthe2019GeneralElection".54Thiscode,however,failstoplacetheuseratthecentreofthespectrum.Itdoesnotprovideforanynoticeoractionthatcanbeinitiatedbytheusers,effectivelyignoringtheviralanddirecteffectonvoters.Thereportingmechanismhasbeencentralised,withonlytheECIempoweredtoraiseconcernsagainstonlinecontent.
BroadtransparencymeasuresaresuggestedwhilespeedyremovalorredressalisnotguaranteedunderboththiscodeandtheMCC.ThescopeoftheECIandjudicialauthoritiesislimited,asplatformsaretaskedwithdeterminingvoluntarypractices.Questionsalsoloomovertheauthenticationprocessofofficialaccounts;reviewingislimitedonlytopaidadvertisementsfore-newsproviders;itrequiresdisplayingelection-relatedexpenditurebutimposesnolimit;itfailstoprioritisedigitaleducation;anditisunabletopreviewcontentpostedbypartymembers.
Anequallyimportantgapisthat‘hatespeech’and‘disinformation’remainundefinedandlackanylegalprecedenceforconsistentapplicationtoonlinespeech.Thereisaclearabsenceofanypunitiveliabilityagainstextremist,hatespeechanddisinformationcontentevenundertheRPA.AlthoughSection123(3A)ofRPAidentifiespromotionofhateasacorruptpractice,itisnotdefinedunderanylegislationnorreflectedunderMCC.Subsequently,lackof
13
RegulatoryChallenges
anyregulatoryorenforceabilitystandardleavesplatformsfunctioningunderaregulatoryvacuum.ThereformstoMCCandRPAareimperative,theymustincludeonlinepoliticaldiscourseandrealignwiththeECIvotereducationprogramme’sprincipleofpromoting“ethicalandinformed”voting.
Astruthfulandfact-basedinformationisnecessarytoexpresspoliticalwill,itisimportanttoidentifysubtlecampaigningtechniquesthataimtoblurvoterperceptionthroughunethicaloruninformedinformation,floodingtactics,andvote-bankpolitics.Asonlineinformationwillcontinuetoplayakeyroleinshapingperceptions,itisnecessarytomovetoexplicitpolicyinterventions.Byunderstandingthedominanttypesofinformationsharedonline,itcancontributetoraisingstandardsofinformedvoting.
Algorithmssolidifyhomogenousinformationecosystems,limitingthescopeforcriticalthinkingandmakingitdifficulttoperceiveadverseinformation.
14
PolicyRecommendations
Itwillbefallacioustoblamepoliticiansaloneforlackofsustainable,effectivestandardsforpolicy-orperformance-basedpolitics.Asthereisalsoalackofincentiveforvoterstoobtainandanalyseinformationtomakeinformedvotingchoices,itleadstoloweraccountabilityamongstpoliticalagentstodeliverperformance-orpolicy-basednarrativesto
upliftthequalityofpoliticaldiscourse.Instead,votersremainsusceptibletovote-grabbing,whereinpoliticiansappeasevotersthroughidentitypolitics,populism,propagandaorvote-bankpolitics.
Itisdifficulttooverhaulthetriedandtestedunethicalincentivemodeltomakewayforapolicy-friendlyinformationecosystem.However,withsocialmediaplatformsbeingusedasapoliticaltoolforcampaigningandengagement,theirmisusecanendangerthedemocraticrighttovote.Itisnecessarytoformulateaholisticmodelthatprovidesopportunitytoself-correctthroughaccountability,transparency,andbetterincentives.Otherwise,leftunchecked,thecurrentpatternscandestroythefreeandfairfabricofIndianelections.
1.Movingbeyond“voterliteracy”and“voterturnout”
ThisanalysishasemphasisedthattheECI’sobjectivesofpromotingvotereducationor“ethicalandinformedvoting”,takesabackseatinitsownstrategies.Ratherthanupliftingthequalityofvotes,ECI’sprogrammeforvotereducation,ineffect,ismorefocusedonitsotherenshrinedprinciplesofenlargingvoterturnoutnumbersorpromulgatingliteracyabouttheprocess,ortheliteralactofhowtocastavote.Theimportanceofpromotingcriticalthinkingbeforeballotsandinformedvotingisnotyetrealisedacrossstatepolicies,atleastnotuniformly.ThereisalsoalackofcohesioninvariousstatepracticesunderSVEEP.Forexample,whilethestateofKerala’smodellaysfocuson“qualityvotingandhundredpercentvoterturnout”,55manyotherstateshavestruggledtoevenformulateSVEEPpoliciesorremainsilentontheprincipleof“informedvoting”.56
Tostrengthenthe‘R
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