The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation: A Cross-National Analysis by Pragati Rawat & John C Morris

Author:Pragati Rawat & John C Morris [Rawat, Pragati & Morris, John C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Public Policy, Media & Internet, Public Affairs & Administration, Political Science, Political Process, Science & Technology Policy, General
ISBN: 9780367755492
Google: solSEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 58886648
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Technology Resources

Physical resources of ICT are a must for e-participation. Most of the previous cross-country e-participation studies have focused only on one narrow measure of technology: the availability of internet connections as a percentage of population (e.g., Jho & Song, 2015). The current study focuses on four dimensions of ICT as predictors for e-participation: infrastructure, affordability, skills, and usage.

ICT Infrastructure

ICT infrastructure ensures availability of a basic platform for citizens to interact online with their government. Physical access to ICT infrastructure is still a critical need, especially for the least developed countries (International Telecommunication Union [ITU], 2020; United Nations [UN], 2021). Previous cross-national studies have assessed the impact of the percentage of people using the internet on e-participation and found a statistically significant positive impact (Åström et al., 2012; Jho & Song, 2015). Saglie and Vabo (2009) find that internet access promotes participation among youth. A UN survey (UN, 2020) shows that countries that have stronger ICT infrastructure (e.g., United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Republic of Korea) mostly have better e-participation as compared to countries with comparatively poorer infrastructure (e.g., India, Sri Lanka, and Uganda). Gulati et al. (2014) also argue that countries that invest more in ICT have better developed e-government and e-participation, but their data are unable to establish any relationship between ICT investment and e-participation (Gulati et al., 2014).

Chapter 3 discussed the lack or minimal consideration of the digital divide when developing the analytical framework for factors impacting e-participation in the cross-national studies. Digital divide refers to the gap in access to ICT between demographics and regions. Lack of access to the internet is found to account for lower levels of online political activity, although some argue that it does so only partially (Smith et al., 2009). However, no online interaction is possible in complete absence of ICT infrastructure. Apart from web portals, several countries have designed mobile websites and services are provided over mobile devices due to the increasing spread of mobile usage. Further, a broadband connection is shown to increase the probability of engaging in various online activities (e.g., Grubesic & Murray, 2002). Leigh and Atkinson (2001) argued that, in the future, the differences in access (or the digital divide) may not be about having internet access or not, but about having “high-speed” internet access or not (p. 16). Faster connection enables quick downloads that facilitates research and information gathering and ensures better sound and video transmission (Best & Krueger, 2005). Krueger (2002) argued that a broadband connection may enhance the likelihood of engaging in political participation. The current study argues that the availability of the ICT infrastructure improves citizen’s online political engagement.

H1a: The availability of ICT infrastructure has a positive influence on e-participation.

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