The Digitalization of Citizen Participation in City Governance: A Study of Citizen Communication Channels in St. Petersburg

Abstract

The trend towards the digitalization of social relations is actively affecting civic participation in city governance. This article presents the results of a study of the possibilities for civic participation in digital spaces in the city of St. Petersburg. Here, we examine communication channels allowing citizens to participate in the administration of their own dwelling territory, as well as the efficacy of services received from the state. The research methodology was based on a neo-institutional approach. Our model pays special attention to various communication channels: personal visits, the 'Our Petersburg' portal, the electronic reception of the governor, electronic voting systems, crowdsourcing platforms, and initiative budgeting sites. Each of the communication channels was evaluated by a set of socio-economic, organizational and technological criteria. The study was conducted through a survey of fifty experts from the Administration of St. Petersburg, municipal authorities, management companies and other organizations in the field of housing and communal services that are subordinate to government agencies. To determine the most significant criteria for evaluating communication channels, a factor analysis was carried out using the principal component method. To assess the adequacy of the data, a measure of the adequacy of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) sample was used, as well as the Bartlett sphericity criterion. According to the results of the study, the interaction processes of the participants within the framework of the considered model in St. Petersburg were institutionalized through three communication channels: the portal for solving urban problems 'Our Petersburg', the Governor’s electronic reception and personal visits to the authorities. The designated channels are the most popular and effective among all participants in terms of institutional interaction.