Digital citizen participation and local democracy in rural territories: A critical analysis from the Punilla Province, Ñuble Region

Abstract

This article critically examines digital citizen participation and its
relationship with local democracy in rural territories, focusing on the case of
Punilla Province in the Ñuble Region. Drawing on the perspectives of e
gov ernance and the digital divide, the study analyzes the municipal websites
of San Carlos, Ñiquén, San Fabián, Coihueco, and San Nicolás to assess the
scope and limitations of local digitalization processes. The findings show that
while progress has been mad e in active transparency and online
administrative services, digital participation mechanisms remain largely
informational and transactional, with limited deliberative or binding
features. In highly rural contexts, these constraints tend to reinforce
inequ alities in access, use, and impact. The article concludes that
digitalization alone, without institutional and cultural transformation, is
insufficient to strengthen local democratic participation.