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How to Evaluate the Social Impact of Digital Urban Services? Testing the Methodology (Evidence from St. Petersburg)
The article presents the materials of one of studies conducted within the framework of a research project supported by the Russian Science Foundation and the St. Petersburg Science Foundation. The project is devoted to identification of effectiveness of the urban services’ ecosystem developed in St. Petersburg. We test the following hypothesis: an active use of urban digital services leads to formation of social capital among citizens through active involvement in the activities of authorities and local government as well as contributes to the growth of trust in public authorities. To identify factors and indicators of social performance, a special methodology based on the use of various research methods is proposed. A representative survey of citizens, the results of which are presented in this report, is a part of this methodology. The survey allowed us to test the methodology and draw preliminary conclusions about social performance of different types of urban digital ecosystems.