A situation analysis for Northern Cyprus municipalities: key success factors for effective participation

In this research, the current e-participation features of the 28 municipalities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have been examined by using the United Nations e-Government Survey with the intention of contributing to local-level electronic government and public administration studies. The survey scores represent the e-participation maturity level for the electronic services that are provided by the local governments. Based on these scores, the e-participation maturity levels were then cross-checked with specific key success factors that were identified in literature. The key success factors for the municipalities' websites development were identified based upon the literature, which were then compared within the findings. When the current situation was reviewed, it was found that half of the municipalities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) do have a website, however the features that are provided by these websites need to be improved as the e-government concept is in the enhanced stage. In addition, this research highlights key success factors such as revenue, population, it capability and availability of an official United Nations (UN) language of the top-ranked municipality websites, which can be used for improving the e-participation maturity levels of the municipalities in TRNC and other parts of the world.