A framework of ICT exploitation for e-participation initiatives

The exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) is being extended to e-Participation initiative, which refers to government's efforts in employing ICT for disseminating policy planning information and soliciting citizen's inputs in planning. The initiative serves objectives such as informing citizens, generating support among citizens, utilizing citizens' input in decision making, and probing for citizens' needs. E-Participation efforts with education and support-building objectives inform about government's policy plans and create a favorable climate for execution of these plans. The success of an e-Participation initiative depends on identifying the objectives and careful selection of the best-matching techniques and ICT tools for the objective. Implementation of e-Participation initiatives with the input probing objective is important during the agenda setting phase of a policy.