Naslov
On-line participation in Croatia: Moving beyond citizens' cynicism. The case of the City of Pula

Autori
Bebić, Domagoj ; Vučković, Milica ; Zenzerović, Bernard

Izvornik
European Journal of ePractice (1988-625X) 16 (2011); 42-58

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Pula ; Online participation ; eGoverence

Sažetak
Building on the arguments of those who see the Internet as a medium for a broader political participation and bearing in mind that online technologies may provide a platform for building political ties between representatives and the represented, this paper examines if and how the local authorities in Croatia have been using the potential of the Internet to engage citizens into the decision-making process. Furthermore, it examines how citizens use platforms provided by the local government for participation for expressing their cynicism as some theories suggest or for civilised discussion which, according to many authors, improves democracy. The paper explores the case of the city of Pula, which is the only city in Croatia that has introduced eConsultations in order to stimulate citizens to influence city’s policies. Using longitudinal content analysis, the paper examines citizens’ contributions related to two city projects, differentiating thereby between ‘constructive’ and ‘cynical’ inputs. Using two control variables, a) reporting of the newspapers about eConsultations projects and b) changes in the management of the eConsultations website, the results of the analysis suggest that certain steps may be undertaken to move beyond the citizens’ cynicism default.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija, Informacijske i komunikacijske znanosti

POVEZANOST RADA