Online Versus Offline Participation: Has the Democratic Potential of the Internet Been Realized? Analysis of a Participatory Budgeting System in Korea

ABSTRACT:

Few studies have empirically examined the effectiveness of online and offline systems in involving citizens in policymaking. The present study asks whether the online and offline modes of participation vary in their impacts on policy decision-making. To answer this question, we analyze and assess the effectiveness of the two types of participation channels by tracking individual citizens’ opinions proposed through the participatory budgeting system of the Bukgu (Northern) District Office in Gwangju Metropolitan City in Korea. The results show that offline participation channels are more effective than online channels because of their high levels of representativeness and deliberativeness. There is also variation between offline channels. When citizens engage in deliberative participation processes, their opinions are more likely to be reflected in budget or policy decision-making. In this sense, our study represents an initial step toward revealing the workings behind residents’ participation and any resulting substantive outcomes to help local governments design effective participation channels.

KEYWORDS::

• budget process
• citizen participation
• online and offline channels

Notes

The Bukgu district office adopted the participatory budgeting system in 2003, the first of its kind in Korea. The local Ordinance for the Participatory Budgeting System provided its legal and institutional foundation.

Citizens only propose ideas, not the monetary amounts required to realize their proposals. The Bukgu district estimates the amount of resources required to implement a citizen’s proposal through comparison with past projects that are similar to the proposal. The estimated budgetary amount is ultimately adjusted by the local council, and the budget information is posted on local websites. We used this information to measure the dependent variable.

The demographic composition of the civil committee is similar to the age, occupation, and gender makeup of the residents of the Bukgu district.

Table

The residents of Bukgu District are required to enter identity information, such as a social security number, before they can post opinions on the Bukgu District Office website. However, after initial identification, they can be anonymous in online discussions. Despite their online anonymity, participants may fear that their identity can be tracked by the government because they are required to enter their social security number when they log onto the system. This pressure may have a negative impact on the level of deliberativeness of online channels by restricting participants’ passion for active involvement.

For example, a proposal that suggested installing more streetlights in all of Bukgu’s parks was regarded as a district-wide issue, and a proposal that suggested building a playground in a certain residential area was taken as an individual interest-oriented issue. In the present study, 382 opinions were analyzed by two coders. Cohen’s κ was used to calculate intercoder reliability, and the κ was 0.85. Therefore, the strength of agreement in this content analysis was substantial.

Urban development showed a value of 13 on the VIF test (cutoff: 10), so we removed that variable from our models.

The same results were found in Lim and Kim (2010), but using only five fiscal years.

For illustrations in the literature on whether ICTs are seen as significant vehicles for shaping human behaviors and perceptions (“technological determinism”) or as subordinate to political processes and institutions (“social shaping of technology”), see Bellamy and Taylor (1998), MacKenzie (1999), and Robbin et al. (2004).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Seunghoo Lim

Seunghoo Lim is an Assistant Professor in the Public Management and Policy Analysis Program at the International University of Japan. His specializations are policy process, policy analysis, and public/nonprofit management. He is a recipient of the 2014 Statts Emerging Scholar Award from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). His research has appeared or is forthcoming in refereed journals, including Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, Social Science & Medicine, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, and Public Administration & Development, among others.

Youngmin Oh

Youngmin Oh is an associate fellow at the Center for Performance Evaluation and Management at the Korea Institute of Public Finance, Sejong-si, Korea. His specializations are performance management, policy evaluation, local governance, and financial management. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in refereed journals, including Administration & Society, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Economic Development Quarterly, and International Review of Public Administration, among others.