The impact of the use of digital platforms on citizen participation in the smart city: Proposal for a conceptual model

Abstract

In 2024, Morocco launched its ‘Maroc Digital 2030’ strategy aimed at transforming the country into a digital leader in Africa. This strategy aims to improve the accessibility and efficiency of public services by digitising them. This includes creating a unified digital portal to centralise access to government services, simplifying administrative procedures and improving the user experience. The rapid development of digital technologies has profoundly changed the behaviour of all stakeholders involved in urban management. E-participation is vital to foster economic and social development. The aim of this research is to explain the factors influencing online citizen participation and to propose a conceptual model integrating these variables. More specifically, this work examines the impact of expected effort in using the technology, perceived usefulness, attachment to the territory and perceived trust on the intention to use participatory platforms. In addition, the research introduces gender and sex as moderating variables to analyse how the relationships between these factors vary according to individual characteristics. Understanding the factors that influence the uptake of e-participation is essential for the strategy, planning, design and dissemination of e-participation initiatives that will ultimately motivate citizens to use them. This article also explores the technological and individual factors that influence citizens’ decision to participate online. Based on the UTAUT (United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) theoretical model. The research methodology of this article is based on an in-depth analysis of the literature review, we identified the relevant variables and formulated the hypotheses to be tested within the framework of the conceptual model. The expected results aim to enrich the literature on e-participation in order to implement a participatory approach adapted to the specific expectations of citizens.

Keywords: E-participation, Trust, Smart city, UTAUT.

JEL Classification: M30, M37, L86.

Paper type: Theoretical Research.