Concerns Management, E-Government and E-Participation

Abstract

Advancements in internet technology have profoundly changed communication between citizens and government authorities. Concerns management systems and smartphone applications offer new and convenient channels of interaction. In Germany, the “Mängelmelder” platform offers a nationwide service channel for local citizens' concerns. Citizens generally use this communication channel for reporting public infrastructure defects. This paper examines whether the “Mängelmelder” platform – with customized systems can facilitate further citizen participation at the local level in Germany. Analysing different customized systems shows that possibilities for further use depend on the way in which local authorities handle the citizens' input. It could not be proven that offering an open category for citizens' recommendations (in a customized concerns management system) has an impact on further citizen participation. But using digital citizen services, such as concerns management platforms, can indeed facilitate increased citizen participation.

Past, Present, and Future of Digital Government: Insights From Chinese Practices

“…Th is evolution brought citizens at the center of their activities and focused on the effi ciency of services and the active engagement of the public in governmental processes. Th is model marked signifi cant progress in integrating citizen participation, but there is still room for more robust citizen involvement (Mossey et al, 2019;Vaerst et al, 2015). Envisaging the future of digital governance, the emphasis on the public's right to participate in governance appears to be the next logical step (Park and Suyoung, 2021; Perez-Morote et al, 2020; Reuter et al, 2020).…”