Multilevel perspective for the diffusion of e-democracy implementation: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Information and communication technology has been identified as a viable means of addressing the societal issue of disconnection among e-democracy participants. Apart from the ongoing normative debate concerning the potential of information and communication technology to facilitate e-democratic processes, much research has been dedicated to examining the broad spectrum of specific e-democracy tools that have been multi-disciplinary and fragmented in recent years. Remarkably, however, the potential of technology diffusion and its impact on implementing e-democracy in cyberspace has not yet received adequate attention. The key issue for the sustainability of e-democracy is technology accessibility, which is also a central factor in technology diffusion. This systematic literature review seeks to structure and systematise the literature on the different phases of e-democracy implementation technology diffusion (adoption, implementation, and institutionalisation) and levels of analysis (macro, meso, and micro) with the aims of, firstly, mapping the current field of e-democracy technology diffusion research and, secondly, providing a unique study for use in future research. The analysis indicated that researchers have primarily focused on the adoption and implementation stages, as well as the external information and communication technology environment at the macro level and the organisational level at the meso level within public administrations. In general, this review highlights major gaps in the current literature and proposes viable avenues for further research.