Book excerpt: This dissertation addresses three important questions, together with optimistic and pessimistic views, about people's access/use of the Internet, its ability to promote their participation in politics, and its role in government provision of information and public services. Chapter Two addresses the question of the determinants of people's access to and their use of the Internet. Chapter Three addresses the question of, if people have access to the Internet, then how are they using it in terms of various types of political activities? Chapter Four investigates the factors that affect the distribution of e-government as a tool to provide information and public services.