Enhancing E-Participation through Citizen-to-Citizen Interactions: Evidence from a Government-sponsored Forum in China

Abstract

Citizen participation is a crucial challenge for government departments, and the potential of citizen-to-citizen (C2C) interactions to enhance government governance remains under-explored. This paper examines the impact of citizens' online social capital in C2C interactions on e-participation behaviour. The findings show that interaction frequency, trust and shared topics in C2C interactions can positively influence citizens' e-participation, with interaction frequency having the most significant impact. This study contributes to the literature on citizen social capital and e-participation and provides guidance for the construction of government e-participation platforms.