Journalism Publications Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication 2006 Electronic government and civic engagement: Citizen interaction with government via Web portals Y. C. Chen Iowa State University Daniela Dimitrova Iowa State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/jlmc_pubs Part of the Journalism Studies Commons, and the Social Influence and Political Communication Commons The ompc lete bibliographic information for this item can be found at https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ jlmc_pubs/7. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journalism Publications by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Electronic government and civic engagement: Citizen interaction with government via Web portals Abstract This exploratory study examines civic engagement with e-government via Web sites. It provides an analytical framework that integrates both the supply and the demand sides of citizen interaction with e-government. In modeling three dimensions of online civic engagement (government information access, service transactions, and contributing to government policy-making processes), the study framework incorporates a number of variables, including political activism, civic involvement, perceived benefits nda difficulties, information channels, and demographic characteristics. Based on a national sample of Internet users, the study highlights the importance of the supply side (availability of e-government) for promoting civic engagement. Furthermore, political activism is found to be related positively to accessing government policy information and contributing to policy-making processes. The tudys results also confirm the significant impact of perceived benefits in fostering online civic engagement. Future research can benefit from this study by utilizing a more comprehensive model, treating various dimensions of online engagement separately, and conducting an in-depth analysis of the elements of perceived benefits. Disciplines Journalism Studies | Social Influence and Political Communication Comments This article is published as Chen, Y. C., & Dimitrova, D. V. (2006). Electronic government and civic engagement: Citizen interaction with government via Web portals, International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 2(1), 54-76. doi: 10.4018/jegr.2006010104. Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/jlmc_pubs/7 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT RESEARCH January - March 2006, Vol. 2, No. 1 Table of Contents EDITORIAL PREFACE IJEGR 2(1) i Donald F. Norris, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA RESEARCH PAPERS Information Technology and Administrative Reform: Will E-Government be Different? 1 Kenneth Kraemer, University of California, Irvine, USA John Leslie King, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA This article examines the theoretical ideal of information technology as an instrument of administrative reform and examines the extent to which that ideal has been achieved in the United States. It then concludes that information technology has never been an instrument of administrative reform; rather, it has been used to reinforce existing administrative and political arrangements. The Evolution of Web Governance in the Federal Government 21 Julianne Mahler, George Mason University, USA Priscilla M. Regan, George Mason University, USA This article seeks to describe and to account for the emergence of what is now being termed Web governance. It explores the evolution of the process by which Web governance decisions are being made government-wide and at individual federal agencies. Generational Differences in Information Technology Use and Political Involvement 36 Mack C. Shelley, II, Iowa State University, USA Lisa E. Thrane, Wichita State University, USA Stuart W. Shulman, University of Pittsburgh, USA A structural equation model analysis of data from a 2003 national random sample survey on informational technology (IT) reveals important direct and indirect effects of generational demographic and attitudinal differences on electronic forms of political participation. Our model suggests that e- citizenry will compound existing social divisions, as non-electronic voices are marginalized and electronic voices are amplified. RESEARCH NOTE Electronic Government and Online Engagement: Citizen Interaction with Government 54 via Web Portals Yu-Che Chen, Iowa State University, USA Daniela V. Dimitrova, Iowa State University, USA This exploratory study examines civic engagement with e-government via Web sites. It provides an analytical framework that integrates both the supply and the demand sides of citizen interaction with e- government. 54 International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 2(1), 54-76, January-March 2006 RESEARCH NOTE Electronic Government and Online Engagement: Citizen Interaction with Government via Web Portals* Yu-Che Chen, Iowa State University, USA Daniela V. Dimitrova, Iowa State University, USA ABSTRACT This exploratory study examines civic engagement with e-government via Web sites. It provides an analytical framework that integrates both the supply and the demand sides of citizen interaction with e-government. In modeling three dimensions of online civic engagement (government information access, service transactions, and contributing to government policy-making processes), the study framework incorporates a number of variables, including political activism, civic involvement, perceived benefits and difficulties, information channels, and demographic characteristics. Based on a national sample of Internet users, the study highlights the importance of the supply side (availability of e-government) for promoting civic engagement. Furthermore, political activism is found to be related positively to accessing government policy information and contributing to policy-making processes. The study results also confirm the significant impact of perceived benefits in fostering online civic engagement. Future research can benefit from this study by utilizing a more comprehensive model, treating various dimensions of online engagement separately, and conducting an in-depth analysis of the elements of perceived benefits. Keywords: e-citizen; e-democracy; e-government; IT adoption; IT in public administration; online civic engagement INTRODUCTION democracy represents one of the key chal- Engaging citizens online in order to lenges of the next generation of electronic improve governance and to facilitate e- government (Pratchett & Krimmer, 2005). Copyright © 2006, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 2(1), 54-76, January-March 2006 55 The first generation of electronic govern- parency (Pandey & Bretschneider, 1997), ment was focused more on providing ac- information and service delivery (Holden cessible information and less focused on et al, 2003), and reforms (Ho, 2002) making transactions available online. A mostly are based on surveys of either gov- critical examination of first-generation e- ernment Web sites or government officials. government projects can highlight some Although some popular studies take a opportunities for improving the next gen- more citizen-centric approach in order to eration of e-government. Surveys of gov- try to understand the demand side ernment Web sites indicate limited use of (Horrigan, 2004; Graafland-Essers & interactive features to engage citizens in for- Ettedgui, 2003), such studies have limited mulating public policy (West, 2004). The analytical methodologies for understand- progress made at the local level in adopt- ing the impact of individual factors. Finally, ing interactive services is slow, based on current e-government studies tend to ig- the analysis of electronic government sur- nore opportunities for integrating insights veys conducted in 2000 and 2002 (Norris from relevant bodies of literature. For ex- & Moon, 2005). Although with the use of ample, public administration and political Internet technologies governments are shift- science researchers often overlook litera- ing away from the traditional bureaucratic ture on information management systems paradigm, providing customer services and rarely integrate social and network rather than enhancing citizen participation dimensions into the study of e-government in policymaking is the focus (Ho, 2002). (Norris & Lloyd, 2004). A study of local government officials also To fill these gaps in existing research, suggests that e-democracy is not high on this exploratory study aims to establish a their agenda for future deployment of elec- framework that takes into account both tronic government (Norris, 2005). the supply and the demand sides of civic Learning from experience and build- involvement in e-government. This study ing on the information and communication sheds light on how making online services infrastructure, governments can introduce available impacts the willingness of citi- meaningful ways to engage citizens in the zens to use e-government and on their policymaking process.