The institutionalization of ICT and civic participation: Evidence from eight European nations

Rita Mano

Technology in Society, 2021, vol. 64, issue C

Abstract: In the present study we examine the impact of information technology on civic participation in eight European nations. Drawing from the social welfare regimes, social origins and media ecology perspectives, we employ a merged Eurostat and OECD data set (2014) to show that (a) investments in ICT are associated with an increase in civic participation, and (b) ICT effects are higher than the effects observed following investments in social welfare and nonprofit activity. More specifically, the study shows that after controlling for social welfare and nonprofit activity, (a) mobile broadband investment increases civic participation in social democratic regimes; and (b) fixed broadband investment is associated with an increase in civic participation in liberal regimes. We conclude that ICT exerts an institutional-level effect on civic participation that finds expression in significant variations in civic participation among European nations, after controlling for the traditional effects of social welfare and nonprofit activity.

Keywords: ICT; Civic participation; Comparative; European nations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x2031321x

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101518

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