Yes / Although the success adoption of e-government contingent upon citizens' trust and their willingness to use it, little consideration has been paid to explore the adoption of e-government from citizens' trust perspective. This paper provides a critical and systematic review of the current literature on citizens’ trust in e-government, with a particular focus on the most critical factors influencing citizens’ trust in respect of the adoption of e-government. The extant literature was identified through six electronic databases, from 2000 to 2014. Academic articles were reviewed if they contained a relevant discussion of the antecedents or factors influencing citizens’ trust in e-government adoption. The findings of this review reveal that several studies have been conducted in the area of trust in e-government (particularly trust in government and trust in the internet) with limited consideration to citizen’s aspects of trust (such as personality, culture, gender, experience, education level, beliefs and value systems). Based on the findings of the review, a conceptual framework is proposed by developing the updated DeLone and McLean IS Success Model to establish a framework which presents the antecedents of trust in e-government adoption.

No / The relationship between context and e-governance has been gaining a significant momentum in academic circles due its social and technical complexities. There are many challenges posed by the disparity between the context and the system when it comes to e-governance in developing countries. This research aims to reveal more successful adoption of e-governance initiatives and exposes factors that hinder its implementation. We develop a conceptual framework showing the reciprocity between the context and the system or what is termed “Context-System Gap”. Therefore, this research will study the appropriateness of the context and its influence on the system and the influence of the system on the context.

Yes / The trust and confidence of citizens in their governments has been declining in recent decades. Electronic government (e-government) is seen as a means to reverse this trend. Despite conflicting conclusions in the literature, there is a consensus that e-government-led transformation can improve citizen confidence and trust in government. This research investigates the influence of e-government-led transformation on citizen trust and confidence in the context of a developing country, the Kingdom of Bahrain. A conceptual model is developed, tested and validated using an online survey targeting ordinary citizens of the country. Based on 313 responses, the findings suggest that citizen trust and confidence is positively influenced by a government transformation, and this relationship is mediated by both government performance and citizen satisfaction. In addition, the results show that key factors must be met to achieve transformed government through the use of e-government systems: transparency, accountability, and meeting citizens’ expectations.

Yes / By employing an extended social cognitive theory, this study examines factors (such as outcome expectation, affect, anxiety, self-efficacy and social influence) influencing intention to adopt an electronic government system called online public grievance redressal system (OPGRS) in context of India. The extended social cognitive theory (SCT) was validated using 419 responses collected from eight selected cities in India. The empirical outcomes of the proposed model indicated the significant relationships of seven hypothesised relationships between six constructs. This is the first study, which has used the SCT model to understand the adoption of an e-government system. The policy implication provided in this research can help the government to improve upon the effectiveness and quality of the system and the level of social impact on the users by employing the project champions. It also helps in enhancing their positive feelings toward adopting this system and fully utilise the potential of the OPGRS as a useful tool toward a transparent and corruption free society.

Costa Rica is a small country located in Central America, characterized by having one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to officially abolish its armed forces (1949), following the Civil War in 1948. From the time of its foundation as a Republic, Costa Rica has been defined in terms of homogeneity and socio-economic equality. These two features have been recognized as the main elements of the country's national identity, and the reason for Costa Ricans to be perceived as peaceful and happy individuals. This research utilizes the methodological lens of Performance Studies to analyze these iconic elements of Costa Rican national identity and to challenge the view of Costa Rica as a paradise. Even though the international community continues defining this country in the same manner in which it was defined during the second part of the nineteen century, the reality is that during the last three decades this nation has changed so much that the same definition is not adequate anymore. Street violence in the country has become a threat to citizens of all socio-economic classes, taking away their peace and happiness. I analyze this development and the response by the citizens in an attempt to show that Costa Rica is facing an internal conflict that could have devastating on its society. Many social movements have formed during the last decade to try to bring Costa Rica back to the nation it was at the beginning of the twentieth century. The most important characteristic of these movements is that they try to unmask the country showing that it is not peaceful in an attempt to recover the peace they believed characterized the Costa Rica of their ancestors.

The present study aimed to examine how support and trust in democracy was viewed among young citizens in Sweden. The study used a quantitative approach, in which a web survey was developed based on two well validated measurement instruments. The web survey was distributed via an internet site with 241 respondents age 18-29 years (M = 23.5 SD = 2.61). Four indexes were created (trust, support for democracy, autocracy and ideals of democracy) and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. The results showed that the participants had a fairly large support for democracy and did also have a fairly high trust in democracy. The support for other governance than democracy was fairly low. These young citizens in Sweden preferred participatory democracy over electoral democracy. A bivariate regression model showed an indication that lower trust in democracy leads to more active participation among young citizens. A multiple regression model however showed that females with a lower trust in democracy preferred participatory democracy and that males with a higher trust preferred electoral democracy. The authors argue that these important findings should be prioritized within the democratic discourse in order to be able to address young citizens regarding their concern and confidence in democracy. This in turn could give rise to more adequate efforts and decision making processes for both politicians and civil servants.

L’amélioration des relations entre l’administration et les citoyens demeure un sujet d’études valable à toute époque car il est en perpétuel devenir. On peut l’aborder par maints aspects, mais nous avons choisi de retenir les points qui, selon nous, sont les plus importants et méritent donc d’être examinés et approfondis. Il n’est pas étonnant de noter que le niveau d’approche de cette question, sa perception par les pouvoirs publics et les juridictions diffèrent selon que l’on s’intéresse au cas français ou à la situation irakienne. Notre démarche a donc pour objectif d’identifier autant que possible les atouts que le système français génère à l’avantage des citoyens, puis de discerner les éléments de ce dernier qui seraient susceptibles d’être transposés au régime administratif irakien. Cet ouvrage a pour visée à la fois de proposer un bilan critique des divers objets constitutifs de la relation entre les citoyens et leur administration et un appel aux responsables irakiens pour qu’ils se préoccupent d’établir une véritable réforme de cette dernière. / The improvement of relations between the administration and the citizens remains a subject of study valid at all times because it is in perpetual becoming. It can be approached in many ways, but we have chosen to focus on the issues that we believe are the most important and therefore deserve to be examined and deepened. It is not surprising to note that the level of approach to this matter, its perception by governments and jurisdictions, differs depending on whether one is interested in the French case or the Iraqi situation. Our aim is therefore to identify as much as possible the advantages that the French system generates for the benefit of citizens and then to discern the elements of the latter which could be transposed to the Iraqi administrative system. The aim of this research is to propose a critical estimation of the various objects that constitute the relationship between the citizens and their administration and an appeal to the Iraqi officials to concern themselves with establishing a real reform of the latter.

This thesis analyzes the Sovereign Citizens Movement—considered a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI— to determine if the label “terrorist organization” is appropriately applied, and then to assess the effectiveness of government protocols. The Sovereign Citizens Movement is a loose organization of individuals who adhere to an anti-government ideology. In most cases their actions are limited to fraudulent activity; however there have been individuals who resorted to violence in their engagements with government officials. This thesis concludes that the label “terrorist organization” does not describe the movement well, but that it is more likely that some individuals extrapolate the ideology and choose violence on their own, making them lone-wolf terrorists. Another conclusion of this thesis is that there needs to be a regular set of protocols established for all government agencies for interacting with Sovereigns. The method created by Rob Finch and Kory Flowers, which incorporates both law enforcement officials and legal professionals, provides the most effective way to interact with Sovereigns.

Health policy making is fraught with difficult decisions that result from conflicts between people’s values. Citizens are important stakeholders in this process, and it is through methods of public engagement that they can be involved in developing health policy. Deliberative forms, in particular, have the ability to improve decision quality and promote greater acceptance of decisions. This study used the Toronto Health Policy Citizens Council to examine citizens’ values on 7 specific health policy questions asked over a two-year period. A thematic analysis was performed on the transcript content derived from the audiotaped deliberations from Council meetings. Nineteen values were identified. The results suggest that it may be a combination of factors of the health policy topic discussed that shapes the values elicitation seen in this kind of public engagement. In conclusion, citizens councils appear effective at eliciting citizens’ values, and are a good way to actively educate participants about health care.

Health policy making is fraught with difficult decisions that result from conflicts between people’s values. Citizens are important stakeholders in this process, and it is through methods of public engagement that they can be involved in developing health policy. Deliberative forms, in particular, have the ability to improve decision quality and promote greater acceptance of decisions. This study used the Toronto Health Policy Citizens Council to examine citizens’ values on 7 specific health policy questions asked over a two-year period. A thematic analysis was performed on the transcript content derived from the audiotaped deliberations from Council meetings. Nineteen values were identified. The results suggest that it may be a combination of factors of the health policy topic discussed that shapes the values elicitation seen in this kind of public engagement. In conclusion, citizens councils appear effective at eliciting citizens’ values, and are a good way to actively educate participants about health care.