An adoption model to support citizens' participation in eGovernance

Abstract

As a solution to the low citizen engagement, it is important to increase the number of citizens who participate in policy-making and governance. To fully enjoy the benefits of eGovernance, the citizens should be able to participate in it fully through offering their views, contributions, and ideas in order to build general development of their societies and country at large. Despite the countless benefits of citizen participation in eGovernance, it is still low in the governance space. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting citizen participation, design a model to support citizen participation in eGovernance, and also evaluate this model to understand its contribution to eGovernance. The study employed the Participatory Action Research methodology because it clearly mapped out our objectives and its cycle was the most relevant for our results achievement. With the use of purposive sampling, convenience sampling, snowball sampling, and data analysis software, relevant data for the research was collected, analyzed, and used to fulfill the objectives of this study. This research provided a solution to the ailing number of citizens participating in eGovernance in the country through the development of an eGovernance adoption model for citizens to support their participation in eGovernance. The study entailed the detailed description of eGovernance in society, citizen participation in eGovernance, the role of Web 2.0 technologies in eGovernance citizen participation, and their contribution to the fulfillment of the study objectives. This study also suggested areas of future research to strengthen eGovernance as a whole and also the overall participation of citizens in eGovernance.