One of the hopes of many for the Internet is that the technology is changing politics into an open playing field, allowing persons previously excluded from the political process to become engaged. This and related claims have concerned activists and scholars during the past decade, but only recently have empirically-grounded studies been conducted that examine and – in some cases – contest these ideas.

     This volume provides a comparative analysis of the use of the World Wide Web in countries around the world for political campaign purposes.  Drawing upon a common conceptual framework - the ‘Web sphere,’ and a shared methodological approach called Web feature analysis - the volume explores e how the Internet is used by a variety of political actors during periods of electoral activity. Research teams from around the world conducted analyses in technologically advanced nations, as well as those with low Internet diffusion, and a variety of countries in the middle range of network penetration, and from a variety of political and cultural contexts.

     The book represents an important contribution towards gaining a cross-national understanding of the current and emerging impacts of the Internet on political practice.

     To that end, the contributors collect and analyze data related to the structure for political action and information provision. They examine twelve types of political actors engaged in elections, including candidates, parties, non-governmental organizations, government, media and individual citizens. Exploring the complex dynamics between politics, culture, and information technology at both the national and global levels, The Internet and National Elections will be of interest to students and researchers of political science, communication studies, international relations, media and Internet studies.

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 The Internet and National Elections: A Comparative Study of Web Campaigning