Title: Identification in e-participation: a multi-dimensional model

Authors: Judith Schossböck; Bettina Rinnerbauer; Michael Sachs; Gregor Wenda; Peter Parycek

Addresses: Department of E-Governance in Administration, Danube University Krems, Dr. Karl Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria ' Department of E-Governance in Administration, Danube University Krems, Dr. Karl Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria ' Department of E-Governance in Administration, Danube University Krems, Dr. Karl Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria ' Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, Herrengasse 7, 1010 Wien, Austria ' Department of E-Governance in Administration, Danube University Krems, Dr. Karl Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria

Abstract: A crucial question in the conceptual design of e-participation processes is the selection of electronic identification methods (IDs). Both technical security of a system and low participation threshold are important factors that should be considered on all levels of e-participation. IDs that are perceived as too complex are likely to cause lower participation rates. While anonymous participation is favoured by a great number of users, some forms of e-participation, in particular those asking for authorised participants, require a more secure form of identification with a high quality of identification data. This paper presents an expert-based model that maps selected IDs with the levels of e-participation and evaluates the appropriateness of their usage for each stage. The results are discussed for different ID methods and aspects such as transparency and privacy are taken into consideration.

Keywords: e-participation; electronic participation; online participation; electronic identification; electronic ID; participation threshold; evaluation; security; information; consultation; cooperation; co-decision making; decision making; transparency; privacy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2016.082679

International Journal of Electronic Governance, 2016 Vol.8 No.4, pp.335 - 355

Received: 03 Jan 2016
Accepted: 02 Aug 2016
Published online: 05 Mar 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article