The influence of political factors in policymakers' perceptions on the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies for citizen participation and knowledge sharing in public sector delivery
Issue title: Creating public value through Open Government: Perspectives, experiences and applications
Subtitle:
Guest editors: Jing Zhang, Gabriel Puron-Cid and J. Ramon Gil-Garcia
Affiliations: Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Granada, C/ Campus Universitario de Cartuja, s/n 18071, Granada, Spain. Tel.: +34 958242881; Fax: +34 958246249; E-mail: manuelp@ugr.es
Abstract: Public administration is being pressured for innovation, driving service
delivery towards a more personalized, outcome-driven, participative,
efficient and collaborative model. In this regard, Web 2.0 technologies are
potential powerful tools for supporting public engagement, intended to
improve public services and to establish relationships between government
and citizens based on information sharing and dialogue. This paper seeks to
analyse the influence that political variables could have in the perception
of policymakers regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for user
participation, for knowledge sharing, and for technological innovation in
public service delivery. Findings indicate that policymakers are prone to
using Web 2.0 technologies to improve internal productivity of local
governments and the engagement of citizens in the process of public
services' delivery, but with the aim of making suggestions through
consultations. In addition, political factors such as ideology, political
competition or political stability could influence the perception of
policymakers regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for citizen
participation and knowledge sharing in public sector delivery.
Keywords: Web 2.0, political factors, local governments
