E-participation in local governments: An examination of political-managerial support and impacts

The purpose of this research is to examine factors that explain top governmental officials' support for e-participation in American local governments, and to examine the impacts of e-participation adoption on local governments in the USA.

This study utilizes a national survey of e-participation among US local governments, which examines factors that predict greater political-managerial support for e-participation and factors associated with positive impacts from e-participation.

This research found that demand was the most important factor predicting political-managerial support for e-participation and impacts.

This study produced somewhat limited results partly because relatively few of the responding governments had adopted any significant number of e-participation activities. A second limitation is that the authors took a quantitative approach to e-participation supports and impacts, which did not enable them to tease out some of the more subtle nuisances of e-participation adoption and its impact on government. A third limitation is that the authors conducted the research only on governments at the local level in one nation.

Local governments should ensure top level (elected and appointed officials) support for e-participation for it to be successful. Citizen demand, formal planning, and taking e-participation are seriously also associated with adoption and positive impacts. So, local governments should consider these factors when developing e-participation.

This study is first to examine the impacts of e-participation adoption on local governments in the USA.