This study investigates the institutionalization of e-participation initiatives in six European countries—Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Spain—using a multiple case study. The following research questions are addressed: How have recently established e-participation initiatives been institutionalized in public administrations? What are the formal and informal aspects of their institutionalization? It is concluded that the adoption of a digital solution does not in itself trigger a change in the policy-making process because the institutionalization of e-participation is not a linear process. The formal institutionalization increases the sustainability, transparency, and throughput legitimacy of e-participation and allows citizen proposals to be handled in a standardized way. Although the formal institutionalization of e-participation is key for an institutional change towards deliberative democracy, it needs to be accompanied by informal institutionalization through the supporting ideas, values, and preferences of politicians and public officials who have the power to change public institutions.

本研究使用多个案例研究调查了六个欧洲国家（爱沙尼亚、法国、德国、荷兰、苏格兰和西班牙）的电子参与计划的制度化。解决了以下研究问题： 最近建立的电子参与倡议如何在公共行政部门中制度化？他们制度化的正式和非正式方面是什么？得出的结论是，采用数字解决方案本身并不会引发政策制定过程的变化，因为电子参与的制度化不是一个线性过程。正式的制度化增加了电子参与的可持续性、透明度和吞吐量的合法性，并允许以标准化的方式处理公民提案。