ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of citizen participation, the impact of e-government on citizen participation, and the factors affecting e-participation development. Citizen participation has been narrowly defined as a process in which individuals take part in decision making in the institutions, programs, and environments that affect them. Although e-government has the potential to improve citizen participation online, the reality is that this online participation still lags. The latest global e-governance report from the E-Government Institute of School of Public Affairs and Administration in Rutgers University-Newark shows that citizen participation online is the lowest when compared to other categories: privacy and security, usability, content, and services. E-governments two decades of development, by using information and communication technologies, are viewed as a potential way to promote citizen participation. All of these enable e-government to help government raise its citizen participation. Countries with higher levels of Internet usage and education, and a stronger economy, are more likely to have higher national-level e-participation.
