E-government mechanisms to enhance the participation of citizens and society: Exploratory analysis through the dimension of municipalities

Tejedo-Romero, F., Araujo, J. F. F. E., Tejada, Á., & Ramírez, Y. (2022). E-government mechanisms to enhance the participation of citizens and society: Exploratory analysis through the dimension of municipalities. Technology in Society, 70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101978 This episode explores how Portuguese local governments use online media to enhance municipal transparency and citizen participation. The study analyzes trends in e-government development and assesses whether municipality size influences information disclosure and participation levels. Findings show that municipalities have increasingly adopted online initiatives, with transparency indicators improving over time. However, participation mechanisms remain less developed, especially in smaller municipalities. Larger municipalities tend to provide better information access, offer more online services, and establish stronger citizen interaction channels. Key insights highlight the dominance of information-sharing over interactive participation tools, with social media links available in 90% of municipalities but more advanced tools, such as administrative procedure systems, limited to larger ones. Transparency and participation indices positively correlate with municipal size, reflecting greater public demand and political visibility. The episode emphasizes the need for national policies to standardize transparency levels and enhance e-government systems, particularly in smaller municipalities, fostering accountability and democratic renewal.