I. Aurylaitė “Interaction between local governance and citizens on social network Facebook: the case of Lithuanian municipalities” doctoral dissertation defence

Author, Institution: Ieva Aurylaitė, Kaunas University of Technology

Science area, field of science: Social Sciences, Political Sciences S 002

Scientific Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Eglė Butkevičienė (Kaunas University of Technology, Social Sciences, Political Science, S 002).
Scientific Consultant:
Prof. Dr. Auksė Balčytienė (Vytautas Magnus University, Social Sciences, Political Science, S 002).

Dissertation Defence Board of Political Sciences Field:
Prof. Dr. Saulius Pivoras, Vytautas Magnus University (Social Sciences, Political Sciences S 002) – chairman;
Dr. Vaiva Kalesnikaitė, SUNY – The College at Brockport (Social Sciences, Management, S 003);
Prof. Dr. Gintautas Mažeikis, Vytautas Magnus University (Social Sciences, Political Sciences S 002);
Dr. Vaidas Morkevičius, Kaunas University of Technology (Social Sciences, Political Sciences, S 002);
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rūta Žiliukaitė, Vilnius University (Social Sciences, Sociology, S 005).

 The doctoral dissertation is available at the libraries of Kaunas University of Technology (K. Donelaičio st. 20, Kaunas), Vytautas Magnus University (V. Putvinskio st. 23, Kaunas), The General Jonas Žemaitis Academy of Lithuania (Šilo st. 5A, Vilnius) and Klaipeda University (K. Donelaičio sq. 3, Klaipėda).

Annotation:

Questions used in the dissertation: or account created by Lithuanian municipalities on Facebook is focused on interaction and its constituent criteria: informativeness and responsiveness; what is the content of information published by Lithuanian municipalities on Facebook; what is the specificity of interaction between Lithuanian municipalities̨ and citizens on Facebook, according to the e-participation typology? In this regard, local government is closest to the citizens, it is important to find out in what ways and what opportunities, it is possible to empower citizens to participate in political life. The aim of the research is to analyze the interaction between Lithuanian local governments and citizens on the social network Facebook. The results obtained in the study revealed the importance of informativeness and responsiveness criteria in order to maintain the principle of subsidiarity in social media. Facebook accounts created by Lithuanian municipalities have to confirm the authorship and the subject matter of public information should not be different from the activities of a political institution. Local government initiates citizens to become involved in a political decision-making process, if organized public information on the social network Facebook and e-participation is treated as an alternative to civil participation.