Exploring the role of citizen-to-citizen (C2C) interactions in enhancing e-participation: a social capital perspective

Enhancing citizen participation remains a key challenge in contemporary governance. While social capital is widely seen as a driver of engagement, its role in digital environments is still underexplored. Using longitudinal data from a government-sponsored forum in China, this study examines how three dimensions of social capital shape e-participation. The results indicate that interaction breadth (structural capital), interpersonal trust (relational capital), and shared topics of interest (cognitive capital) significantly enhance e-participation. These findings extend social capital theory to digital governance and offer practical insights for designing inclusive participation platforms that effectively leverage online social capital.