Citizen Engagement in Policy Formulation through E-participation: A Case of Academic Staff of Makerere University

Abstract

There has been limited citizen engagement in policy formulation through eparticipation both nationally and locally. These low levels have led to the formulation of tenuous policies, which have hindered their effective implementation due to low compliance levels. This has as well negatively affected decisions making based on the formulated policies. This study, therefore, sought to determine the factors influencing citizens’ engagement in policy formulation. A sample size of 377 members was derived from the target population of 1,493 academic staff of Makerere University using Kregie and Morgan (1970) formulae. Primary data collected from respondents using a quantitative survey questionnaire was analysed using SPSS. In addition, Hierarchical Regression was computed to determine the contribution of each variable in the study. The study findings reveal that there is a significant positive relationship between Eparticipation channels, perceived ease of use, trust in government, and behavioural intentions on citizen engagement as measured by voluntary community participation, representative democracy, and Democratic values through e-participation. Moreover, there is no significant relationship between eparticipation sensitization and usefulness on citizen engagement in eparticipation. The study birthed a new model of Citizen Engagement extending the TAM model of Davis (1989) to include two variables, namely; e-participation channels, and trust in government. The implications and recommendations made in this study would help the government and policymakers understand eparticipation supply factors that influence citizens’ engagement in policy formulation through e-participation.

Key Words: Policy Formulation, Decision making, Citizen Engagement, E-participation