Connecting Democracy:  Online Consultation and the Flow of Political Communication is a collaborative effort by 18 researchers - nationals of seven different countries - to analyze how online discourse is steadily transforming the relationship of governments to their publics.  Combining their expertise in communication, political science, law, communication, political science, public policy, and information science, the authors propose a wide-ranging analysis of the phenomenon of "online consultations" - Internet-based discussion forums that represent government-run or at least government-endorsed solicitations of public input with regard to policy making.