THEORETICAL MODEL OF DIGITAL (NON-)INTERACTION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES AND CITIZENS: CHOICE PARADOX AND BUREAUCRATIC LOGIC IN SERVICE DESIGN ON THE CASE OF SAINT PETERSBURG
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2218-1067-2025-4-27-37Keywords:
digitalization of public administration, e-government, e-participation, focus groups, technology acceptanceAbstract
The article addresses the gap between the rapid development of digital government services and citizens’ limited adoption of them. Classic models of technology adoption and innovation diffusion can explain perceptions of usefulness and convenience; however, they do not provide a comprehensive understanding of the rejection of regional solutions. This study advances an interdisciplinary approach that combines the psychological theory of “choice overload” with bureaucratic decision-making logic. Empirical evidence is drawn from ten focus groups conducted in Saint Petersburg with 62 participants across different age cohorts. Findings reveal that while citizens actively engage with federal platforms (e.g., Gosuslugi), they show little interest in regional services such as "I Live Here" and the "Unified Card of St. Petersburg." Key barriers include the excessive number of services, duplication of functions already offered by private platforms, insufficient attention to user preferences, and distrust of data security. Consequently, digitalization faces a paradox: the greater the number of offered services, the higher the likelihood of refusal to use them. The study concludes that sustainable digital government development requires integrating user experience and citizen consultation into the design phase, rather than relying solely on bureaucratic implementation logic.References
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