Technology Married to Good Governance and Diversity: Explaining e-Participation Preparedness in Government

Author(s): 

Seulki Lee-Geiller

ISPS ID: 
24-03
Full citation: 
Lee-Geiller, S. (2024). Technology Married to Good Governance and Diversity: Explaining e-Participation Preparedness in Government. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 201(123218). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123218
Abstract: 
Enabling citizen participation using governmental online platforms, namely, e-participation, has emerged as an innovative mode of open and collaborative governance. Previous studies have emphasized technological conditions to explain the varying availability of e-participation tools on government websites among countries. However, the United Nations' E-Participation Index has identified a mismatch between technological infrastructure development and e-participation preparedness in government. To address this gap, this study used an integrative framework that highlights social and institutional aspects in addition to technological conditions to build a rigorous predictive statistical model. We conducted principal component analysis on five datasets spanning a period of 16 years, covering 181 countries. The results, cross-validated through regression analysis, indicate that good governance dispositions, supported by well-established telecommunication infrastructure, and demographic diversity in terms of race, religion, and language largely predict government behavior in preparing for e-participation. This finding offers valuable insights into the dynamic interaction among government, technology, and society in open governance. This study also provides fresh perspectives for policymakers to consider.
Supplemental information: 
Publication date: 
2024
Publication type: 
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