Leading the Digital Way: How street-level bureaucrats activate citizens’ e-governance participation

Abstract

Many governments are eager to promote e-participation initiatives, yet citizens’ interests in engaging in electronic participation vary. Previous studies have associated citizens’ e-participation behaviors with individual attributes, technology features, and organizational factors; however, they have overlooked how the implementation of these initiatives affects citizens’ behaviors. At the same time, the research on street-level bureaucracy has emphasized the impacts of bureaucratic encounters on policy outcomes, but how such encounters shape citizen engagement in digital governance remains under-explored. This study addresses these gaps by investigating how street-level bureaucrats’ beliefs and motives about technology affect their interaction with citizens in e-participation. Based on an original dataset collected in rural China, the study finds that street-level bureaucrats’ actions impact citizens engagement in e-governance. Based on an original database of 1521 rural residents across China, our findings show that village officials’ proactive use of social media can contribute to a high level of citizen e-government participation. They motivate citizen participation by improving citizens' perceived responsiveness. However, we find no evidence street-level bureaucrats tend to mobilize the marginal to bridge the digital divide. This study provides a novel explanation for citizens’ e-participation behaviors derived from bureaucratic encounters. It highlights that the entrepreneurial behaviors of street-level bureaucrats are crucial for the successful implementation of e-participation. Therefore, practitioners should cultivate digital-savvy frontline workers to lead the way in digital participation.