e-Participation Provision and Demand Analysis for Greek Municipalities

Municipalities have acknowledged that improving citizens’ access to online information and services, and engaging them in policy and decision-making enhance local democracy. Electronic participation can empower citizens who are interested in government decision-making and public issues. The objective of this article is to investigate the supply side and the demand side of electronic participation in Greek municipalities. Using content analysis for 325 Greek municipal portals we depict the supply of electronic participation for 2017, by employing the Citizen Web Empowerment Index. A comparison of the index for 2015 and 2017 is presented. Electronic participation demand is estimated using a sample of 212 citizens. The main findings show that municipal electronic participation provision progress is slow paced, although citizens express interest for involvement in local government issues. Municipalities should focus on well-designed electronic participation tools and services, taking into account citizens’ needs to engage them in public affairs.