Development of a Digital Inclusion Model for Enhancing Citizen e-Participation in Public Governance: A Conceptual Framework for Kazakhstan

Abstract

Digital government can widen opportunities for citizens to obtain information, express views, and contribute to public decisions. However, the availability of online platforms does not guarantee equal or meaningful participation. Citizens may remain excluded because of unreliable access, limited digital skills, inaccessible interfaces, low trust, weak civic confidence, or the expectation that public institutions will not respond. This article develops a Digital Inclusion–e-Participation in Governance (DI-EPG) model for analysing these interrelated barriers in Kazakhstan and comparable digitalising states. The model is constructed through a theory-driven synthesis of digital inequality, technology acceptance, civic efficacy, e-participation, and responsive-governance literature, supplemented by analysis of Kazakhstan’s digital-government context. It treats citizen digital inclusion as a multidimensional capability comprising meaningful access, digital skills, accessibility and usability, trust and digital safety, and perceived relevance and motivation. The model proposes that these dimensions influence e-information, e-consultation, and e-decision-making both directly and indirectly through civic efficacy and participation readiness. Institutional responsiveness is positioned as both a direct determinant of continued participation and a moderator of the relationship between readiness and actual participation. The article specifies testable hypotheses, measurement indicators, and an empirical validation design using a multilingual citizen survey, structural equation modelling, and follow-up interviews. The proposed framework shifts attention from the mere provision of digital channels to citizens’ practical ability to use them and to see evidence that their participation matters.