Digital accountability through e-participation: the moderating role of the digital divide

IMPACT: The authors show that equitable access to digital technologies enhances the effectiveness of e-participation, enabling citizens to monitor, evaluate, and influence public sector decision-making more meaningfully. The findings presented in this article have important implications for policy-makers—infrastructure expansion alone cannot achieve digital accountability. Instead, digital inclusion and civic engagement must be addressed through investments in broadband access, digital literacy, and participatory platforms. Bridging the digital divide ensures that accountability mechanisms are accessible to all, thus promoting transparency, responsiveness, and trust in government. By connecting digital transformation to participatory governance, this article supports efforts toward sustainable and inclusive public administration, offering guidance for building citizen-centreed digital governance frameworks. The authors investigated the relationship between e-participation and digital accountability, with a particular focus on how the digital divide moderated this relationship across the EU 27 between 2018 and 2022. Using panel data Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) estimation, the authors examined how broadband access disparities influence the effectiveness of citizen engagement in fostering accountability. The study contributes to the literature by offering a conceptual and empirical framework that treats the digital divide as a background condition and a dynamic factor shaping participatory outcomes. Operationalizing digital accountability through distinct dimensions of transparency also advances accountability measurement in the digital era. The findings underscore that expanding e-government services alone is insufficient; digital inclusion and civic engagement must be pursued together. The study highlights the importance of integrated strategies that combine infrastructure investment with efforts to ensure accessible, inclusive, and effective public participation. While focused on the EU, the framework holds relevance for other governance contexts addressing digital inequality.