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Syracuse University
Jooho Lee
represent an important strategy for improving trust tion (e-participation) applications, including online D01: 10.1 1 1/j.1 540-621 0.201 2.02593.x.
Government Responsiveness, Citizen Development, and Hypothesis 3: E-participants' satisfaction with the quality of
Influence on Decision Making government responsiveness is positively associated with their
Prior studies have emphasized that participants' satisfaction with perceived influence on decision making.
citizen participation programs is affected by government employ-
ees' responsiveness to participants' needs and quality feedback to Citizens' Development, Influence on Decision Making, and
participants' input (Kweit and Kweit 2004; Parasuraman, Zeithaml, Government Transparency
and Malhotra 2005; Webler and Tuler 2000). Halvorsen (2003) Another important question that has not been explored in the field
found that participants who perceive a high quality of interactions of citizen participation and e-participation is how e-participants'
and communications with government employees are more likely development and perceived influence on decision making through
to believe that the agency in charge of managing the participation their e-participation experiences is associated with e-participants'
program is responsive to public concerns. Because citizens' input assessments of government transparency. This study proposes that
is processed through electronic transactions in the e-participation e-participants' perceptions of individual development that emerge
applications, e-participants' satisfaction also depends on the from satisfaction with the quality of government responsiveness
extent to which the participation process is managed to deal with and with the user-friendliness of e-participation applications are
participants' input securely and fairly (Webler and Tuler 2000) likely to be associated with their positive assessment of government
Gender Male 73.9 adapting the index of seven items (Irvin and Stansb
Female 26.1 and Kweit 2004; Roberts 2004) with a five-point L
Age 20s 22.1 items capture the extent of e-participants' perceived e
30s 29.3
Oasis participation on individual development. Inf
40s 27.8
50s 15.2 sion making was measured by using the three item
Over 60s 2.5 on previous studies (Irvin and Stansbury 2004; Kw
Monthly income (missing = 3) Less than $ 1 ,667 1 6.7 2004; Roberts 2004). Assessment of government tra
$1,667-$2,492 25.5 measured by the index of five items. Table 2 present
$2,500-$3,332 23.4
with Cronbach's alphas and corresponding survey it
$3,333-$4,166 15.2
$4,167-$4,999 9.3 ardized factor loadings.1 All the survey items associ
More than $5,000 9.9 respective constructs were found to be statistically s
( p < .001), providing evidence of adequate converge
Analyses
Satisfaction with e-participation applications (five items)and
and Model
satis- Assessment
Structural
faction with the quality of government responsiveness equation
were modeling (SEM) was used to em
measured
the proposed
by modifying the service quality index (Lee, Kim, and Ahnmodel,
201 1; which appears in figure 1 . SE
Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra 2005). technique
Those items were
that rated
simultaneously assesses the reliabilit
Note: Cronbach's alpha in parentheses; Oasis (the e-participation program); SMG (Seoul Metropolitan Government).
a. For model identification purpose, loading is fixed at 1 for the indicator in unstandardized solution.
Mean S.D 1 2 3 4 5
***p< .001.
Figure 2 reveals that hypothesis 1 is supported (ß = .12, p < .01). research found that citizens' satisfaction with e-participation appli-
Also, the direction of the path is positive, consistently support- cations and government responsiveness has a direct and positive
ing the hypothesis. The revised model indicates that satisfaction association with e-participants' perceptions of individual develop-
with e-participation applications has a direct positive effect on ment through e-participation. E-participants' greater satisfaction
e-participants' assessment of government transparency (ß = .30, with the quality of government responsiveness is also positively
p < .001). But further analysis shows no direct link to trust in associated with their perceived influence on decision making
government (ß = .009 ,p < .756). through e-participation. And, the study observed that e-participants'
assessments of government transparency become more favorable
As expected, hypothesis 2 is supported by the data (ß =.59, when they perceive that individual development and influence on
p < .001). That is, e-participants' satisfaction with government government decision making are enhanced through e-participation.
responsiveness has a direct effect on their positive perceptions of Finally, we found that assessments of government transparency are
individual development through e-participation. The results also positively associated with e-participants' trust in the government
support hypothesis 3 (ß = .84, p < .001). That is, the study sample that provides e-participation programs.
reported that satisfaction with government responsiveness is posi-
tively related to their perceptions of influencing government deci- High costs for accessing policy information and engaging in admin-
sion making. This structural path was the strongest and the most istrative decision-making processes have been criticized as a barrier to
significant in the model. The revised model, however, suggests that citizen participation (Irvin and Stansbury 2004; Thomas and Streib
there is no direct association between e-participants' satisfaction 2003). As noted earlier, Web-based e-participation applications have
with government responsiveness and their assessment of govern- been advocated as a crucial tool for e-government to facilitate citizen
ment transparency (ß =-.04, p < .694). participation by offering easier and more effective access to policy
information and involvement in administrative decision-making
In addition, the results support hypothesis 4 (ß = .32, p < .001). procedures (Walker 2010; Welch, Hinnant, and Moon 2005; West
E-participants who perceived enhanced individual development 2004). The results of this study suggest that e-participation applica-
through their e-participation experiences tions focusing on user-friendly design are
reported positive assessments of government The results of this study suggest likely to create a positive perception of govern-
transparency. The results show that there is ment transparency. Another important lesson
that e-participation applica-
a positive relation between e-participants' from the study is that citizen satisfaction
tions focusing on user-friendly
perceived influence on government decision with e-participation applications is indirectly
making and their assessment of government design are likely to create a posi- related to trust in government through either
transparency (hypothesis 5) (ß = .27, p < .001). tive perception of government enhanced individual development through
Finally, the data reveal that hypothesis 6 is also transparency. e-participation or positive assessments of
supported (ß = .70, p < .001). As expected, government transparency. It is worthwhile
e-participants' assessment of government trans- to note that this result is inconsistent with
parency is positively associated with their trust in the government the observations of prior studies that have examined the direct
that provides the e-participation programs. This structural path is the link between satisfaction with e-government applications and trust
second strongest and significant in the model. (Welch, Hinnant, and Moon 2005; Morgeson, Van Amburg, and
Mithas 201 1).
Implications
This study has explored the structure of e-participation process and The study results show that satisfaction with the quality of gov-
its effect on e-participants' trust in government. Using survey data ernment responsiveness (e.g., ongoing feedback to e-participants
collected from residents of Seoul who have hands-on experience and credibility for the security of e-participation management) is
with the e-participation program run by SMG in South Korea, this positively associated with e-participants' perceptions that they can
this article is an equal collaboration, and the order of authorship Perspectives, Philosophies, Theories, Methods, and Practice. Government
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