Local government response behavior and its effect on e-participation acceptance: An experimental study

Abstract

Digital citizen participation is becoming increasingly important for improving the government-citizen relationship, building active citizenship, and optimizing government efficiency. Despite its potential, the number and composition of participants often fall short of local government expectations. Therefore, for e-participation to be successful, citizens must accept and use it. While numerous empirical studies have analyzed influencing factors, such as the socio-demographic characteristics of citizens, the influence of the interaction between local governments and citizens within the procedures has been neglected. This article attempts to investigate the extent to which employee responsiveness and information quality influence citizen acceptance of e-participation. Using an experimental design, the study confirms the influence of both factors.