JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government
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Editorial - Volume 17, Issue 2
No full textThe editorial comprises information on the published articles as well as new information regarding the activities around JeDEM.The editorial comprises information on the published articles as well as new information regarding the activities around JeDEM
Harnessing sentiment analysis for political campaigns: Trends, platforms, and future directions
No full textThis reflection examines the role of social media engagement in predicting voter support through a comprehensive review of studies on sentiment analysis in political campaigns from 2010 to 2025. Synthesizing studies across diverse contexts (e.g., U.S., Europe, India, Indonesia) and platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, Reddit), this reflection identifies six key thematic clusters: proxy for voter sentiment, platform dynamics, technical advances, methodological and ethical issues, polarization, and campaign implications. This reflection highlights key turning points, such as the shift from Twitter-centric approaches to multi-platform analytics, the rise of deep learning, and the emergence of ethical criteria. The future work proposes a Voter Sentiment Index (VSI) as a standardized, cross-platform metric to improve interpretability and ethical application, ensuring robust and responsible use in political forecasting and governance
Insights from the www.openbydefault.ca database project
No full textDespite Canada’s history of public records access legislation and its commitment to open government policies that seek to advance the disclosure of government records, significant quantities of Canadian federal government information remain not only inaccessible but vulnerable to destruction. This article describes the www.openbydefault.ca project, which aims to preserve and publicly disclose federal government records released through formal Access to Information Act requests by making them immediately available online. From concept to implementation, Open by Default underwent many developments in its life cycle. This article examines the evolution of this project, including as it pertains to data acquisition and processing, database and website design and development, and document storage and hosting, as well as project sustainability and evolution. Using primarily a project development methodology that outlines the evolution of the project during the period from conceptualization to launch, this article discusses and analyzes how the research for the project was carried out and provides a framework to allow researchers to understand how the work might be replicated in future efforts to make government information more accessible
A comparative analysis of e-government services in ten African countries
No full textGovernments strive to enhance citizen services by leveraging the Internet to communicate policies effectively. Researchers have examined e-government initiatives across African nations, highlighting challenges, enablers, and regulations shaping their implementation. This study explores the prospects of e-government in Africa by analyzing efforts in high EGDI-level countries (Mauritius, South Africa, Tunisia, Ghana, and Gabon) and low EGDI-level countries (South Sudan, Lesotho, Sudan, Niger, and the Central African Republic). Key challenges identified include limited digital infrastructure, insufficient competencies, digital inclusion issues, data privacy, and cybersecurity threats. Enablers such as leadership, collaboration, ICT growth, and government strategies are also noted. Additionally, regulations on information provision, data openness, and e-inclusion are discussed. The findings reveal that most African countries lag behind developed and developing nations in e-government services, emphasizing the need for future research to identify strategies for advancement in this direction
From policy to practice in digital governance: A three-level analysis of citizen-centric applications
No full textAmidst the growing importance of digital governance, the need to formulate a governance framework and integrate policy and regulation mechanisms is also increasing. There is also a need to assess the digital governance paradigm in terms of how citizens are responding to it. In doing so, we have carried out a three-level analysis: app developers’ claims, app users’ opinions, and finally, the gap between these levels - is compared by using ten citizen-centric applications from ten different countries hosted on Google Play Store. These applications are assessed based on their self-declaration on Google Play Store on 15 preset parameters, second by sentiment analysis of reviews through VADER and RoBERTa models and finally, a ten-parameter analysis. The paper comprehensively reviews the governance aspect of citizen-centric applications and highlights key elements of digital governance
E-participation initiatives for local government services: A systematic literature review on stakeholder objectives and evaluation approaches
No full textEvaluating e-participation initiatives is critical to understanding their impact on democratic processes, public policy, and societal welfare. However, existing evaluation frameworks often neglect the complexities of multi-stakeholder environments. Through a systematic literature review of 47 empirical cases, this gap is addressed by developing a typology of evaluation categories (supply-side, user activity, public value, political, and societal impact) and a comprehensive evaluation framework that accounts for the diverse objectives of all the involved stakeholders — technology providers, local governments, and citizens. By integrating short-term engagement metrics and long-term societal outcomes, the framework ensures more accurate assessments of e-participation success. We argue that adopting a multi-stakeholder approach in evaluation can significantly enhance the effectiveness, inclusivity, and sustainability of e-participation initiatives. Our findings challenge current evaluation practices and provide guidance for practitioners aiming to optimize governance, improve public services, and empower citizens through more robust evaluation methods. This study lays the foundation for systematic evaluation methods that consider stakeholder objectives, crucial for advancing e-participation research, and policy
Decoding open government policy: Recurrent or innovative liberalism?
No full textThis article examines the implications of open government policies that emerged at a critical juncture for democracies worldwide. Since the launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011, the movement has aimed to revitalise democratic governance. However, its theoretical context within the evolution of liberal democracy remains unexplored. Bias in case selection and a lack of empirical evidence have constrained our understanding. This study analyses open government policy documents from 75 OGP national member countries using Natural Language Processing techniques. The findings reveal a collective commitment to more inclusive and participatory governance models, departing from neoliberal priorities through public innovations. This research enriches the dialogue around democratic governance by explaining how the Open Government Movement intersects with the ideals of liberal democracy. It provides valuable theoretical and practical perspectives, enhancing our understanding and application of open government principles
Development of a parsimonious evaluation model to support one-stop shop implementation
No full textOne-stop shop (OSS) is an integrated hub offering information and public services at one point of access. The streamlined service delivery makes OSS a preferred concept for governments undergoing modernisation efforts. However, similar to other electronic government initiatives, OSS success is contingent upon user acceptance. While previous research primarily focuses on operational aspects, examining user attitudes toward using OSS remains underexplored. Therefore, we propose a user-centred OSS parsimonious evaluation model (OSSPEM) that could help service providers evaluate OSS success and monitor user feedback throughout the OSS lifecycle. The OSSPEM integrates socio-demographic factors, constructs from both the original and extended UMEGA, and the OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy. The model comprises a conceptual and measurement framework tested in the context of North Macedonia, involving a study population of 200 respondents. The collected data were analysed using binary logistic regression. The findings expose the validity of the employed constructs in the endeavour to identify drivers of OSS utilisation
Public participation and transparency: Does open governance promote inclusion and accountability?
No full textOpenness has become a standard in public service delivery and open governance. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) focuses on dimensions of transparency, accountability, and efficiency. This study evaluates the inherent dimensions of transparency and public participation by assessing the OGP open data on policy commitments in the areas of fiscal openness, public service delivery, and inclusion from the perspective of transparency-based policy framework. The study offers a longitudinal-comparative approach, qualitatively analysing the role of transparency and public participation within the number of commitments, the level of completion, and the performance reported in each action plan submitted to the OGP. The analysis centres on five cases, highlighting different stages and engagement levels regarding OGP policies. The findings highlight underlying tendencies in multi-level governance models, emphasising governments’ goals and (self-)reporting biases. The study offers a critical perspective for potential lines of action to improve inclusion and accountability within an open governance paradigm
Delving into the governance of cross-border interoperability solutions in the EU
No full textThe European Union's single market recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. However, unique developments in digital governance have exposed significant barriers to the establishment of a digital single market. One notable challenge is the creation of cross-border digital public services, which is impeded by a lack of interoperability among information systems. Although there have been important advancements toward achieving interoperability, particularly with the development of cross-border interoperability solutions, the governance of these solutions has not been thoroughly examined. This study aims to fill that gap by analysing the governance arrangements of three specific cases: EUCARIS, OOTS, and Peppol. Through an exploratory multi-case study, we identify the governance structures in place and find that network governance is most prevalent, shaped largely by the EU’s regulatory and political context