56 Copyright © 2010, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 4 E-Government and Opportunities for Participation: The Case of the Mexican State Web Portals J. Ramon Gil-Garcia Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico Fernando González Miranda Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Mexico INTRODUCTION Government reform through the use of informa- tion technology (IT) is an ongoing process. Few changes in government procedures are as visible as those promoted by IT applications. Some of the main benefits attributed to electronic government are related to greater citizen involvement, improved efficiency in public administration operations, better delivery of public services, and the development of better intergovernmental coordination, all of which contribute to achieving successful results ABSTRACT Electronic government has been considered a powerful strategy for administrative reform. Identified benefits from e-government are numerous and range from efficiency and effectiveness to transparency and democratic participation. However, only a few studies focus on the potential of information technologies (IT) to promote citizen participation in government affairs. This participation could be conceptualized in many different ways, from the possibility of submitting a request or question to actively participating in decision-making and voting online. In some developing countries, opportunities for citizen participation are still very limited and information technologies have the potential to expand these communication channels. Based on an analysis of the 32 state portals in Mexico, this chapter proposes an index of citizen participation opportunities, ranks the portals according to this index, and explores some of the determinants of the availability of these participation opportunities through the case of the Mexican state of Michoacán. We argue that assessing the different channels for citizen participation available through e-government Web sites is an important first step for understanding the relationships between government and citizens. Citizen initiated contacts and participation cannot exist if communication channels are limited or nonexistent. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-933-0.ch004