Digital Governance Practices in Local Governments: The Case of Sivas Province

Öz

The rapid development of technology and the spread of digitalisation have made remote access to public services attractive. As in the world, the way local governments provide public services in the context of digital governance has changed in Turkey. The fact that digital governance practices in Sivas provincial and district municipalities are open to development and suitable for research constitutes the starting point of this research. The aim of this research is to determine the use of the services provided by municipal staff in local governments by citizens and NGO representatives within the framework of digital governance practices in Sivas provincial and district municipalities. Case study design and purposive sampling method, one of the qualitative research methods, were used in the study. Although 17 municipal staff, 12 NGO representatives and 17 citizens in Sivas province and districts constitute the study group, maximum diversity of 46 participants was taken into consideration. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. After the interviews were transcribed, coding was made using thematic analysis method. According to the results of the study, it was determined that the digital governance approach and e-municipality practices should be developed in Sivas provincial and district municipalities, and the participation of citizens and NGOs in the context of digital governance is limited. In addition, the lack of financial resources in municipalities is also an important factor preventing the widespread use of these practices. In order to create a transparent, accountable and participatory system in municipalities, more public services involving all actors should be integrated with digital applications.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Digital governance
• governance
• e-municipality
• Sivas

Yerel Yönetimlerde Dijital Yönetişim Uygulamaları: Sivas İli Örneği

Öz

Teknolojinin hızla gelişmesi ve dijitalleşmenin yaygınlaşması, kamu hizmetlerine uzaktan erişimi cazip hale getirmiştir. Dünyada olduğu gibi Türkiye’de de yerel yönetimlerin dijital yönetişim bağlamında kamu hizmetlerini sunma biçimleri değişmiştir. Sivas il ve ilçe belediyelerindeki dijital yönetişim uygulamalarının gelişime açık ve araştırmaya elverişli olması da bu araştırmanın çıkış noktasını oluşturmuştur. Araştırmanın amacı, Sivas il ve ilçe belediyelerinde dijital yönetişim uygulamaları çerçevesinde belediye personellerinin yerel yönetimlerde sunmuş oldukları hizmetlerin vatandaş ve STK temsilcileri tarafından kullanımlarının belirlenmesidir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması deseni ve amaçlı örneklem yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Sivas il ve ilçelerindeki 17 belediye personeli, 12 STK temsilcisi ve 17 vatandaş çalışma grubunu oluşturmakla birlikte toplam 46 katılımcının maksimum çeşitlik göstermesine dikkat edilmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında, katılımcılar ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşmeler deşifre edildikten sonra tematik analiz yöntemi kullanılarak kodlamalar yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçlarına göre Sivas il ve ilçe belediyelerinde dijital yönetişim yaklaşımının ve e-belediyecilik uygulamalarının geliştirilmesi gerektiği, dijital yönetişim bağlamında, vatandaşların ve STK’ların katılımının sınırlı olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, belediyelerdeki maddi kaynakların yetersizliği de bu uygulamaların yaygınlaşmasını engelleyen önemli bir faktördür. Belediyelerde şeffaf, hesap verebilir ve katılımcı bir sistemin oluşturulabilmesi için tüm aktörlerin dahil edildiği daha fazla kamu hizmeti dijital uygulamalarla entegre edilmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijital yönetişim
• yönetişim
• e-belediyecilik
• Sivas

Kaynakça

1. Alodalı, M. F. B., Tuncer, A., Usta, S., & Halis, M. (2012). E-municipality practices in local governments: The case of the Mediterranean region. MANAS Journal of Social Research, 1(1), 83–95.
2. Amodu, A. A. (2020). Digital governance, public service and envirtizenship: Prospecting e-society for sustainability (E-S4S). The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 8(12), 206-210. https://doi.org/10.24940/theijhss/2020/v8/i12/HS2002-090.
3. Arabacı, A. (2021). Digitalization in local governments: The case of Eskişehir Tepebaşı Municipality. Atlas Journal of Social Sciences, 1(7), 65–68.
4. Arslan, M. (2022). E-municipality practices: The cases of San Jose Municipality and Başakşehir Municipality. Gaziantep University Journal of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 4(2), 76–92. https://doi.org/10.55769/gauniibf.1169821.
5. Awan, O., Amin, M., & Kirkby, K. (2013). Introduction to e-governance. In A. Ming, O. Awan & N. Somani (Ed.), E-Governance in Small States (ss. 1-24). Commonwealth Secretariat.
6. Başkale, H. (2016). Determining validity, reliability, and sample size in qualitative research. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Nursing Electronic Journal, 9(1), 23–28. https://hdl.handle.net/11499/27221.
7. Berg, B. L. (2001). Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences (4th Edition). Pearson Education
8. Bevir, M. (2011). Democratic governance: A Genealogy. Local Government Studies, 37(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2011.539860

9. Bojang, M. B., & Bwando, W. (2018). E-municipality applications in local government: prospects and challenges. The Proceedings & Abstracts of ICONASH 2018 Antalya, 86.
10. Bovaird, T. & Loeffler, E. (2012). From engagement to co-production: The contribution of users and communities to outcomes and public value. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 23(4), 1119-1138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-012-9309-6.
11. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
12. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). The use of thematic analysis in psychology. (S. N. Şad, N. Özer, & A. Atli, Trans.). Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 7(2), 873–898. https://doi.org/10.14689/issn.2148-2624.1.7c.2s.17m
13. Bütün, M. (2016). Examining the effects of social media use in e-municipality activities in the context of e-governance (Unpublished master's thesis). Istanbul University, Institute of Science.
14. Carrizales, T., Melitski, J., Manoharan, A., & Holzer, M. (2011). E-governance approaches at the local level: A case study in best practice. International Journal of Public Administration, 34(14), 935-945. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2011.616988
15. Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. The journal of positive psychology, 12(3), 297-298. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
16. Creswell, J. W. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
17. Çapar, M. C., & Ceylan, M. (2022). A comparison of case study and phenomenology designs. Anadolu University Journal of Social Sciences, 22(Special Issue 2), 295–312. https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1227359
18. Çetin, M. Ş., & Parlak, B. (2023). Digitalization as an opportunity and digital municipal practices: The case of Muş Municipality. TESAM Academy Journal, 10(2), 591–610. https://doi.org/10.30626/tesamakademi.1333811
19. Dawes, S. S. (2008). The evolution and continuing challenges of e-governance. Public Administration Review 68(1), 82-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00981.x
20. DeJonckheere, M., & Vaughn, L. M. (2019). Semistructured interviewing in primary care research: A balance of relationship and rigour. Family Medicine and Community Health, 7(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2018-000057
21. DiCicco-Bloom, B., & Crabtree, B. F. (2006). The qualitative research interview. Making Sense of Qualitative Research, 40(4), 314-321. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x
22. Doğan, K. C., & Ustakara, F. (2013). E-government and e-governance relations as a structural transformation in the public sector. Journal of Global Economics and Business Studies, 2(3), 1–12.
23. Durmuşoğlu, T., & Genel, Z. (2022). Transforming the citizen from a passive stakeholder to an active one through e-communication: The case of the CİMER application. Denetisim, (24), 70–90.
24. Dwivedi, S., & Bharti, A. K. (2010). E-governance in India – problems and acceptability. Journal of Theoretical and Applied İnformation Technology, 37-43.
25. Erdoğan, O. (2019). Digital transformation in local governments: The case of Molenwaard Municipality. Siirt University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 7(13), 59–74.
26. Eroğlu, E., Taş, S., & Aydemir Dev, M. (2023). Participation in resilient city design: Examining the partnership relationship between municipalities and NGOs in Turkey. International Journal of Social Inquiry,16(1),297–313. https://doi.org/10.37093/ijsi.1210342
27. Estevez, E., & Janowski, T. (2013). Electronic governance for sustainable development- conceptual framework and state of research. Government Information Quarterly 30, S94-S109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2012.11.001
28. Gasco, M. (2003). New technologies and ınstitutional change in public administration. Social Science Computer Review, 21(1), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439302238967
29. Gautam, A., Gautam, I., & Jain, S. (2017). E-governance: A potent tool for effective governance. International Journal of Science Technology and Management, 6(2), 503-516.
30. Gönüllü, C. (2020). Actors from each other’s perspective on the “NGO–municipality–governance axis”: The case of Burdur province. Hak-İş International Journal of Labor and Society, 9(23), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.31199/hakisderg.686028
31. Güler, B. A. (2003). Governance: All power to capital. Praksis Journal, 9(105), 93–116. http://www.praksis.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/009-03.pdf
32. Gupta, A. (2024). Qualitative methods and data analysis using ATLAS.ti. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49650-9
33. Güven, A. (2022). Analysis of provincial municipalities within the framework of e-municipality practices in Turkey. ODUSOBIAD, 12(3), 1621–1650. https://doi.org/10.48146/odusobiad.1108161
34. Güven, A., & Doğan, L. (2022). Analysis of e-municipality practices through the websites of provincial and district municipalities in the Black Sea region. Journal of Black Sea Social Sciences, 14(27), 460–482. https://doi.org/10.38155/ksbd.1126943
35. Holzer, M., & Kim, S. T. (2005). Digital governance in municipalities worldwide 2005: An assessment of municipal web sites throughout the world. In. M. Holzer, S. T. Kim (Eds). The E-Governance Institute, National Center for Public Productivity, Rutgers University, Campus at Newark.
36. Inakefe, G. I., Bassey, V. U., Ikeanyibe, O. M., Nwagboso, C. I., Agbor, U. I., Ebegbulem, J., Mbonu, F. I., & Ike, G. U. (2023). Digital Literacy and E-Governance Adoption for Service Delivery in Cross River State Civil Service. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 19(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijegr.328327
37. Iyad, D. (2019). Electronic governance: An overview of opportunities and challenges. Munich Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA) 92545. 1-14. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/92545/1/MPRA_paper_92545.pdf
38. Human Development Foundation. (2020). Digital governance opportunities in local governments. https://ingev.org/raporlar/Yerel_Yonetimlerde_Dijital_Yonetisim_Firsatlari.pdf
39. Kahraman, A., & Özen, Ü. (2025). Evaluation of information technologies and digital competencies in the digital transformation process of local governments. EKEV Academic Journal, (101), 404–427. https://doi.org/10.17753/sosekev.1584989
40. Karinda, K., Nursin, E., Sawir, M., & Sriyakul, T. (2024). Potential and challenges of digital governance at the local level in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Journal of Contemporary Governance and Public Policy, 5(2), 135-152. https://doi.org/10.46507/jcgpp.v5i2.246
41. Kemeç, A., & Gül, H. (2018). Digitalization practices and the use of the Internet of Things in service delivery of metropolitan municipalities. In A. Ötegen, F. Akınerdem, C. Kılıç, A. Öztürk, & S. Uçar (Eds.), Proceedings Book of the International Green Capitals Congress, May 8–11 (pp. 806–814). Konya Metropolitan Municipality.
42. Korkmaz, H. (2021). Good governance and human development: The case of African countries (Doctoral dissertation). Erciyes University, Institute of Social Sciences, Kayseri.
43. Levi-Faur, D. (2012). From “Big Government” to “Big Governance”?. In. D. Levi-Faur (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Governance (ss. 3–18). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199560530.013.0001
44. Manoharan, A., & Holzer, M. (2012). E-governance and civic enga-gement: Factors and Determinants of e-democracy. Information Science Reference.
45. Mello, G., & Slomski, V. (2010). Índice de governança eletrônica dos estados brasileiros (2009): No âmbito do poder executivo. JISTEM Revista de Gestão da Tecnologia e Sistemas de Informação. Journal of Information Systems and Technology Management, 7 (2), 375–408. https://doi.org/10.4301/s1807-17752010000200007
46. Meijer, A. (2015). E-governance innovation: Barriers and strategies. Government Information Quarterly, 32(2), 198-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2015.01.001
47. Merriam, S. B. (2018). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (S. Turan, Trans.). Nobel Publishing.
48. Musa, A., Bebić, D., & Đurman, P. (2015). Transparency and openness in local governance: A case of croatian cities. Crotian and Comparative Public Administration, 15(2), 415-450.
49. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Sage Publications.
50. Misuraca, G. C. (2007). E-governance in Africa from theory to action: A handbook on ıcts for local governance. International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
51. Nel-Sanders, D., & Malomane, A. (2022). Challenges and best practices for e-municipalities. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v10i1.646
52. Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419
53. Okcu, M. (2011). An important concept for understanding the changing world: Governance. Ankara Chamber of Industry Publication. https://www.aso.org.tr/site/files/pdf/asomedya/2011kasimaralik.pdf
54. Pin, C. (2023). Semi-structured ınterviews. LIEPP Methods Brief n°4, 1-5. https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-04087970/document
55. Poonia, A. S., & Tanwar, G. S. (2014). Impact of e-governance and its challenges in context to India. Compusoft, 3(12), 1417-1420. https://ijact.in/index.php/j/article/view/245/244
56. Sanmukhiya, C. (2019). E-governance dimensions in the republic of Mauritius. Humanit Soc Sci Rev, 7(5), 264-79. https:// doi.org/ 10. 18510/ hssr.2019.7532
57. Sarıtürk, M. (2022). Public administration and digital government in the digital transformation era. Adıyaman University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 42, 555–603. https://doi.org/10.14520/adyusbd.1198232
58. Sayımer, İ., & Küçüksaraç, B. (2019). Factors affecting service delivery and municipality–citizen interaction in the context of e-governance: The case of Kocaeli province. Kocaeli University Journal of Social Sciences, (37), 173–194. https://doi.org/10.35343/kosbed.552837
59. Sayımer, İ., Dondurucu, Z., & Küçüksaraç, B. (2019). Governance in digitalizing cities: Comparative e-municipality practices of metropolitan municipalities in the Marmara region. IBAD Journal of Social Sciences, (5), 420–443. https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.624340
60. Simons, H. (2014). Case study research: In-depth understanding in context. In. P. Leavy (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research, (ss. 455-470). https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199811755.013.005
61. Şahin, A. (2007). E-municipality practices in Turkey and the case of Konya. Erciyes University Journal of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, (29), 161–189.
62. Şat, N. (2008). E-municipality as a tool for democracy (Doctoral dissertation). Marmara University, Institute of Social Sciences.
63. Şengül, R., & Balıkçı, Ö. (2021). A study on e-governance in local governments. Ordu University Journal of Social Sciences Research, 11(2), 417–436. https://doi.org/10.48146/odusobad.866733
64. Ünlü, U. (2016). Integrating the understanding of social municipalism into e-municipality practices. Court of Accounts Journal, 27(102), 63–89.
65. Vanderstoep, S. W., & Johnston, D. (2009). Research methods for everyday life: Blending qualitative and quantitativeapproaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
66. Wang, T., Wang, D., & Zeng, Z. (2024). Research on the Construction and Measurement of Digital Governance Level System of County Rural Areas in China—Empirical Analysis Based on Entropy Weight TOPSIS Model. Sustainability, 16(11), 1-23. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su16114374.
67. Xu, X., & Dai, M. (2024). Evaluation of local government digital governance ability and sustainable development: A case study of hunan province. Sustainability, 16(14), 6084. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146084
68. Yaman, M. (2018). Ways municipalities benefit from social media: Content analysis of Kütahya province and district municipalities. Dicle University Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, (20), 224–243. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1716453
69. Yavuz, C., & Duvan, Y. (2019). Social media in the corporate communication of municipalities: The case of the Black Sea region. Kent Academy, 12(4), 682–702. https://doi.org/10.35674/kent.640643
70. Yeşildal, A. (2019). Social media, local governments and participatory administration: New strategies for municipalities in the information age. Human and Human Journal, 6(22), 883–902. https://doi.org/10.29224/insanveinsan.507609
71. Yıldırım, A. (2021). Digital transformation practices in local governments. Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, (54), 61–82. https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1052373
72. Yıldız, M., & Gümüş, E. (2023). Digital transformation and e-municipality. Journal of Economics, Business, Politics and International Relations, 9(2–1), 201–221.
73. Yılmaz, V. (2019). E-municipality use in Eastern Anatolia. In B. Parlak & K. C. Doğan (Eds.), E-Governance (pp. 509–532). Beta Publishing.
74. Yılmaz, B., Aktin, D., & Özbay, K. (2020). Governance and digital skills in e-municipality. Istanbul Aydın University Symposium Proceedings (pp. 323–344).
75. Yolcu, H., & Özdemir, A. (2020). Evaluation of e-municipality services using the technology acceptance model: The case of Palandöken Municipality. Çankırı Karatekin University Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, 11(2), 215–238.