 |
Egypt and Tunisia’s recent citizen-led democratization movements have inspired scholars and practitioners in public administration to increase their focus on citizenship and the value of citizen empowerment in 21st-century government.
The events further stimulate debate on how to build governance capacity to enhance citizen empowerment and participation through the use of advanced information and communication technologies.
It is worth noting that in 1987 South Korea experienced a citizen-led democratization movement and subsequently saw the implementation of major government reforms. These included the decentralization of local governance; and, over two decades, that of management capacity building transparent governance.
Leaders in other countries may learn from the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s innovation and commitment to creating a culture of transparency, citizen engagement and accountability.
From the administration of former Mayor Goh Kun in 1998 to the current administration of Mayor Oh Se-hoon in 2011, the Seoul government has been working on how to use information technology to expand citizen participation in government affairs beyond traditional methods of citizen engagement.
In 2009, the United Nations Public Service Award recognized Seoul’s electronic-participation (e-participation) system, called the Cheonman-sangsang Oasis, as the best case of a government fostering citizen participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms. This accolade is particularly meaningful because of the important role that citizen engagement and public interest in local governance affairs played in the success of the Oasis. The award acknowledges the value of collaboration between local government and citizens in local communities.
Since 2006, the Oasis has provided citizens with an opportunity to submit their ideas and suggestions on specific proposed policies via the web portal’s policy forums. It further provides e-participants an opportunity to propose new ideas that may contribute to enhancing government effectiveness and resolving community issues. Since 2006, 50,896 members have joined Oasis and have made 122,211 proposals and comments on municipal policies, projects and practices.
The field of citizen participation has been developed significantly; however, the literature leaves significant gaps in our understanding of the relationships among citizen participation, government transparency and participants’ trust in government.
In the summer of 2009, thanks to the assistance of the Seoul government, my colleague, Professor Jooho Lee at the University of Idaho, and I conducted an online survey of citizens who had proposed more than one policy, program or managerial idea in the last three years through the Oasis. In total, 1,074 citizens participated in the survey. Of these, 73.9 percent were male and 26.1 percent were female. More than 45 percent of respondents were over 40 years old.
What were the impacts of citizens’ experiences with the Oasis system on transparency and trust in the city government? The study found three important conclusions.
First, the survey data demonstrated that citizens view government transparency as more favorable when they feel empowered (i.e., they feel they have influence on government decision-making) and when they feel that they are learning through the e-participation process.
Second, the study found that citizens’ assessment of overall government transparency was positively associated with their trust in the Seoul government. Finally, citizens’ greater satisfaction with municipal employees’ effective and responsive communication during the citizen participation process was positively associated with the perceptions of citizen empowerment.
What are the lessons and implications of the findings in Seoul for other government leaders?
In order to strengthen the effectiveness of citizen participation programs, policymakers should adopt a strategic management approach to the development of such, including a clear vision and goals for the program, management capacity building, and a results-oriented performance management system of the e-participation programs.
For example, officials can set the values and goals of the citizen participation programs, including increasing the latter’s social learning, citizen empowerment for decision-making, transparency and trust in government.
They should also invite citizens’ and employees’ input to enhance the quality of the participation process management and to assess the effectiveness of the programs. For effective communication between citizens and civil servants, policymakers need to coordinate and promote integration, sharing, and the transfer of information and knowledge within agencies and governmental networks.
Are officials ready to acknowledge the increased demand for citizen empowerment in the governance era of the 21st century?
It is time for policymakers to seriously consider how to utilize information technologies and emerging social media tools to activate greater citizen participation in policy formation and evaluation and to create greater information exchange between citizens and government.
Finally, government effort and commitment to provide more opportunities for citizen participation and input on many complex governance issues is an important strategy for improving transparency and public trust.
Soonhee Kim is a professor of public administration and senior research associate at the Campbell Institute in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University in the U.S. She will present the results of her study on Seoul’s e-participation system to a seminar on “Governance Capacity in Asian Cities” to be held in Hong Kong this month. She can be reached at soonheekim@maxwell.syr.edu.
