Public Participation as a Basis for the Public Policy Process: New Dynamics and Challenges in the Digital Era

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-350-4_22How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Public Participation; Public Policy; Digital Technology; Inclusive Policy

Abstract

This paper explores how digital technology has changed the way governments engage with citizens in formulating public policy. The digital era has transcended geographical limitations, allowing for wider public participation through online platforms. Government websites, discussion forums, and social media have become essential tools for civic engagement. In addition, online surveys support evidence-based policy decisions. However, challenges such as privacy issues and misinformation must be addressed. This paper defines public participation as the process by which individuals, groups, or organizations contribute to policy discussions. This can happen through a variety of ways, including online consultations and petitions. Digital advancements offer many advantages, such as inclusivity, diverse perspectives, transparency, legitimacy, increased policy acceptance and implementation, information accuracy, impact understanding, and responsiveness to change. However, challenges remain, including unequal internet access, low digital literacy, privacy concerns, misinformation, quality of participation, unfair engagement, mistrust of online platforms, information overload, technological barriers, and a generation gap. Case studies illustrate how public engagement influences policy. Recommendations include improving digital infrastructure, promoting digital literacy, ensuring data privacy, encouraging dialogue, encouraging active participation, increasing community engagement, ensuring transparency and accountability, promoting multi-stakeholder engagement, and conducting ongoing evaluations.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - M. Nazaruddin
AU  - Ade Ikhsan Kamil
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/01/15
TI  - Public Participation as a Basis for the Public Policy Process: New Dynamics and Challenges in the Digital Era
BT  - Proceedings of the 1st Joint International Conference on Social and Political Sciences: Challenges and Opportunities in the Future (JICSPS 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 212
EP  - 223
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-350-4_22
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-350-4_22
ID  - Nazaruddin2025
ER  -