Abstract
Supporters of e-Government believe that this technology will be a panacea for enhancing the engagement and participation of citizens in politics and government. However, there is little empirical support for this assertion. Due to the rapid proliferation of e-Government in Jordan there is an impetus to determine how e-Government impacts citizen participation and engagement in politics and government within the country. Using qualitative phenomenological focus group interviews with 40 citizens who utilize e-Government, an effort was made to understand how this technology influences outcomes with regard to participation and engagement with government. The results indicate that those using e-Government were politically active before using the technology and have extensive experience with technology use. E-Government for the politically active serves to extend participation in the process. For individuals that lack technological savvy and/or are not politically active, e-Government alone may not be enough to increase citizen engagement and participation in politics and government.
Highlights
Modern governments face a wide range of challenges when it comes to effectively meeting the diverse needs of citizens
The results indicate that those using e-Government were politically active before using the technology and have extensive experience with technology use
One of the key issues highlighted through the data analysis was that citizen engagement and participation in e-Government was supported through antecedents leading to the willingness and ability of the individual to participate this process
Summary
Modern governments face a wide range of challenges when it comes to effectively meeting the diverse needs of citizens. The inability of governments to meet the needs has, in some instances lead, to the disenfranchisement of many prompting concern regarding the willingness and ability of citizens to take an active role in political discourse (Wirtz et al, 2014). As reported by Ifinedo& Singh (2011) e-Government involves “the utilization of the Internet and World Wide Web for delivering government information and services to citizens and other stakeholders in a country” (166). These authors go on to argue that the purpose of e-Government is to make resources and information more accessible to individuals, increasing citizen engagement in government. The use of e-Government holds the potential for substantially altering citizen engagement, participation, and interaction with government at all levels
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