Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adoption of Public e-services versus Civic Tech Services: On the Issue of Trust and Citizen Participation in Ukraine and Belarus

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Electronic Government (EGOV 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13391))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 1388 Accesses

Abstract

Belarus and Ukraine embarked on digitalisation relying on an international experience. Ukraine experienced difficulties in building infrastructure and connecting their regions and faced challenges in providing training and raising citizen awareness on advantages of the digital services. Yet, the digitalization reform proceeded from the principles of citizen-centeredness and e-participation. Belarus, on the contrary, was quick in building the basic infrastructure and training their public officials. However, the e-government was oriented rather on technical aspects and inter-sectoral communication, than on the needs of the citizens. Despite the differences in both cases, the level of trust, the basic prerequisite for the quality e-services, has been low (Ukraine) or non-existent (Belarus). This paper uses multi-method approach to examine citizen trust and their adoption of e-services in developing political or administrative regime contexts that are characterized by low trust, variable digital literacy, and variable access to information. A key finding is that in both countries it was the historical legacy of access to free services, that was one of the barriers to building a sustainable and reliable system of e-services. However, while Ukraine started to improve their infrastructure and building trust towards digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Belarus the authorities’ ineffective management of the pandemic has led to sharp decrease in trust towards authorities. As a result, rudiments of an alternative system of public-services’ delivery, based on the people-to-people model, have been launched by the civil society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. OECD et al.: SME Policy Index: Eastern Partner Countries 2020. OECD Publishing, Paris, Brussels (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. Every second Ukrainian used at least one eservice during 2020 (2021). https://voladm.gov.ua/new/kozhen-drugiy-ukrayinec-skoristavsya-schonaymenshe-odniyeyu-e-poslugoyu-protyagom-2020-roku-doslidzhennya/

  3. Kosenkov, A.: IT-country: the reverse side of the digitalization of Belarus. [«IT-strana»: obratnaya storona tsifrovizatsii Belarusi]. EuraZia expert (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Reznik, V.: Factors of trust in power as an object of theoretical typology. Soc. Dimensions Soc. 227−240 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Solonar, M., Limarenko, Y., Rozenkov, D., Snizhko, V.: Digitalization in every house: when stable internet will finally appear in Ukrainian villages [Didzhytalizatsiya v kozhnu khatu: koly v ukrayinskykh selakh nareshti z’yavytsya stabilnyy internet]. Results of the week [Pidsumky tyzhnya] (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Akhvlediani, T.: Digital Literacy in times of the Covid-19 in the Eastern Partnership Countries. In: EaP CSF COVID-19 Policy Paper for Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, in #PrepareEaP4Health. Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Islam, P.: Citizen-centric e-government: the next frontier. Harvard Kennedy Sch. Rev 7, 103–109 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Yera, A., Arbelaitz, O., Jauregui, O., Muguerza, J.: Characterization of e-government adoption in Europe. Plos One 15(4), e0231585, 1–22 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Wouters, S., Janssen, M., Crompvoets, J.: Governance challenges of inter-organizational digital public services provisioning: a case study on digital invoicing services in Belgium. In: Electronic Government Proceedings of the 19th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference, EGOV 2020. Linköping. Springer International Publishing, Sweden (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57599-1_17

  10. Tsutskiridze, M., Bereza, A.: The impact of e-government on the level of corruption. Baltic J. Econ. Stud. 6(2), 93–99 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Sonnenberg, C.: E-government and social media: the impact on accessibility. J. Disabi. Policy Stud. 31(3), 1–11 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Pariso, P., Marino, A.: From digital divide to e-government: re-engineering process and bureaucracy in public service delivery. Electron. Gov. Int. J. 16(2), 314–325 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  13. de Souza, A.A.C., d’Angelo, M.J., Filho, R.N.L.: Effects of predictors of citizens’ attitudes and intention to use open government data and government 2.0. Gov. Inf. Q. 39(2), 101663 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Alruwaie, M., El-Haddadeh, R., Weerakkody, V.: Citizens’ continuous use of eGovernment services: the role of self-efficacy, outcome expectations and satisfaction. Gov. Inf. Q. 37(3), 101485, 1–11 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Saylam, A., Yıldız, M.: Conceptualizing citizen-to-citizen (C2C) interactions within the Egovernment domain. Gov. Inf. Q. 39(1), 101655 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Flanagin, A.J., Stohl, C., Bimber, B.: Modeling the structure of collective action. Commun. Monogr. 73(1), 29–54 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Linders, D.: From e-government to we-government: defining a typology for citizen coproduction in the age of social media. Gov. Inf. Q. 29(4), 446–454 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Yetano, A., Royo, S.: Keeping citizens engaged: a comparison between online and offline participants. Adm. Soc. 49(3), 394–422 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Putnam, R.D.: Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster, New York (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Choi, J.-C., Song, C.: Factors explaining why some citizens engage in E-participation, while others do not. Gov. Inf. Q. 37(4), 101524, 1–12 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Åberg, M., Sandberg, M.: Social Capital and Democratisation: Roots of Trust in Post-Communist Poland and Ukraine. Routledge (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Dickinson, P.: How Ukraine’s orange revolution shaped twenty-first century geopolitics. Atlantic Council, in Atlantic Council. A. Council, Editor (2020). https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/how-ukraines-orange-revolution-shaped-twenty-first-century-geopolitics/. Accessed 08 Nov 2022

  23. Freedom House: Ukraine countries in transit 2021 (2022). https://freedomhouse.org/country/ukraine/nations-transit/2021

  24. Alekankina, K.:With the autograph of Volodymyr Zelensky: which reforms has the president supported [Z avtohrafom Volodymyra Zelens_koho: yaki reformy pidtrymav prezy-dent]. VoxUkraine (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Khomenko, S: Historical chance or great corruption: what is the law against oligarchs in fact about [Istorychnyy shans chy velyka koruptsiya: pro shcho naspravdi zakon proty oli-harkhiv] (2021). https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-58675569

  26. United Nations, E-government development index. Ukraine 2020 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Digital Agenda for Ukraine (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Marysyuk, K.B., Tomchuk, I.O., Denysovskyі, M.D., Geletska, I.O., Khutornyi, B.V.: ‘Diia. Digital state’ and E-government practices as anti-corruption Tools in Ukraine. WSEAS Trans. Environ. Dev. 17, 885-897 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Sokolova, M.: E-Government in Belarus: how to overcome the informatization inertia. [Jelektronnoe pravitel’stvo v Belarusi: preodolet’ inerciju informatizacii] (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Freedom House Belarus. Freedom in the world 2021 (2021). https://freedomhouse.org/country/belarus/freedom-world/2021

  31. #ITUdata. ICT Development Index (2017). https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html

  32. United Nations. UN E-Government Knowledgebase. E-Government Development Index (EGDI) (2020). https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

  33. Dom. From decentralization and digitalization to the land market - how reforms are being implemented in Ukraine [Vid detsentralizatsiyi ta tsyfrovizatsiyi do rynku zemli — yak vprovadzhuyutʹ reformy v Ukrayini] (2021). https://kanaldom.tv/uk/vid-deczentralizacziyi-ta-czifrovizacziyi-do-rinku-zemli-yak-vprovadzhuyut-reformi-v-ukrayini-video/

  34. Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Dynamics of trust in social institutions during 2020–2021: results of the telephone survey (2021).  https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=ukr&cat=reports&id=1093&page=1

  35. Douglas, N., Elsner, R., Krawatzek, F., Langbein, J., Sasse, G.: Belarus at a crossroads. Attitudes on social and political change. ZOiS Report, 3 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Gudkov, L.: Returning totalitarianism [Vozvratnyy totalitarizm]. New literature observation (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Gaiduk, K., Rakova, E., Silitsky, V. (eds.): Social contracts in modern Belarus [Sotsial'nyye kontrakty v sovremennoy Belarusi]. Belarus Institute for Strategic Studies. Minsk (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Ziegler, C.E.: Worker participation and worker discontent in the Soviet Union. Polit. Sci. Q. 98(2), 235–253 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Anthony, C.: Poverty in the former Soviet Union steadily declines. The Borgen Project (2020). https://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-the-former-soviet-union-declines/

  40. Meduza. In the USSR, everything was the best! In fact, no. The main myths about the “golden age” - the late Soviet Union [V SSSR vse bylo samoye luchsheye! Na samom dele net Glavnyye mify o «zolotom veke» — pozdnem Sovetskom Soyuze] (2016). https://meduza.io/feature/2016/12/09/v-sssr-vse-bylo-samoe-luchshee-na-samom-dele-net

  41. Strakhova, V.: Ukraine: in a quest of the leader [Ukraina: v Poiskakh Lidera]. VoxUkraine (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Shurkhalo, D.: The strength of the Bolsheviks was the weakness of the Ukrainian government - historian Mykhailo Kovalchuk [Syla bilʹshovykiv polyahala v slabkosti ukrayinsʹkoho uryadu – istoryk Mykhaylo Kovalʹchuk]. RadioLiberty (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Chervonenko, V.: Five presidents of Ukraine: what are they remembered for [Pyat’ prezidentov Ukrainy: chem oni zapomnilis’] (2019). https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-russian-48348011

  44. Grigoriev, V.:Ukrainians consider Yanukovych the best former president, and Tymoshenko is more likely to be seen as the new president - the results of a sociological survey [Luchshim byvshim prezidentom ukraintsy schitayut Yanukovicha, a v kachestve novogo vidyat skoreye Timoshenko – rezul’taty sotsoprosa]. KievVlast (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Gavrilyuk, V., Khudyakova, A.: The year after the election: an analysis of the implementation of Zelensky’s program [Rik pislya vyboriv: analiz vykonannya prohramy Zelensʹkoho]. Word and deed (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Duchovna, O.: Ukraine “in digits”: directions of reform. Judical newspaper, pp. 45–46 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  47. Mordvinov, O., Zhelyabin, V.: Some approaches to assessing the effectiveness of public administration [Deyaki pidkhody do otsinyuvannya efektyvnosti derzhavnoho upravlinnya]. State Reg. Ser. Pub Adm. 3, 49–54 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

A part of this research was possible due to the public financial support by Swedish Institute, in the project ‘Link for Change: Engaging stakeholders for user-centric digital public services’.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dnipro University of Technology, Av. Dmytra Yavornytskoho, 19, Dnipro, Ukraine

    Olga Matveieva

  2. Center for Advanced Internet Studies and Institute of Social Movements, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, Germany

    Vasil Navumau

  3. IEI, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden

    Mariana Gustafsson

Authors
  1. Olga Matveieva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vasil Navumau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mariana Gustafsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mariana Gustafsson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Marijn Janssen

  2. Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary

    Csaba Csáki

  3. Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Ida Lindgren

  4. University of the Aegean, Samos, Greece

    Euripidis Loukis

  5. Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Ulf Melin

  6. Danube University Krems, Krems an der Donau, Austria

    Gabriela Viale Pereira

  7. University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar

  8. University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Efthimios Tambouris

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Matveieva, O., Navumau, V., Gustafsson, M. (2022). Adoption of Public e-services versus Civic Tech Services: On the Issue of Trust and Citizen Participation in Ukraine and Belarus. In: Janssen, M., et al. Electronic Government. EGOV 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13391. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15086-9_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15086-9_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-15085-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-15086-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Societies and partnerships

Search

Navigation