What is it about?
In developing countries, the e-government initiatives are still at an introductory stage. This article investigates the use of social media by a government agency in Pakistan and its influence of perception of citizens regarding the transparency and responsiveness of the agency, the development of citizens' trust in the agency, and their online political participation. The extensive model tested in this study is one of its kind in the context of developing countries particularly in Pakistan.
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Why is it important?
The results show that the agency's dissemination of quality information on social media generates positive outcomes such as enhanced perception about transparency and responsiveness of the agency, greater levels of trust, and more political participation. However, the findings also reveal that trust in the agency and citizens' perception of the responsiveness of the agency do not lead to citizens online political participation. This finding is novel and interesting as it is different from what has been commonly reported in prior literature.
Perspectives
I hope that the findings of this article provide some insights to the government agencies in the developing countries like Pakistan to adopt and implement the efficient usage of the Internet and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to actively reach citizens and also to encourage citizens' participation in the policy formation phase. ICT channels like social media are cost-efficient and allow for greater and easier ways of interaction. Therefore, if government agencies capitalize on the increasing power of social media, they could be able to restore lost trust and to foster more involved and participative community.
Saman Arshad
University of the Punjab
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Can government’s presence on social media stimulate citizens’ online political participation? Investigating the influence of transparency, trust, and responsiveness, Government Information Quarterly, July 2020, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.giq.2020.101486.
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