The Contextual Benchmark Method: Benchmarking e-Government services

This paper offers a new method for benchmarking e-Government services. Government organizations no longer doubt the need to deliver their services on line. Instead, the question that is more relevant is how well the electronic services offered by a particular organization perform in comparison with those offered by others. Benchmarking is currently a popular means of answering that question. The benchmarking of e-Government services has reached a critical stage where, as we argue, simply measuring the number of electronic services is not enough and a more sophisticated approach is needed. This paper details the development of a Contextual Benchmark Method (CBM). The value of CBM is that it is both benchmark- and context-driven.     

Measuring e-Governance as an innovation in the public sector

Since 2001, the United Nations (UN) and affiliated organizations have measured e-Government initiatives of more than 178 Member States of the UN, by devising “e-Government Readiness Index” (e-GRI) and “e-Participation Index” (e-PI). The UN has published rankings for its Member States in terms of e-GRI and e-PI, through e-Government Readiness Assessments (Surveys). Member States of the UN and digital government research community as well as academicians and practitioners regularly use the e-GRI and e-PI as a point-of-reference; this fact alone signifies the importance of evaluating the existing UN methodologies assessing e-Governance. Since e-Governance is one of the greatest innovations in the public sector, this research uses conceptual content analysis on the Surveys using the Innovation Management Measurement Framework (IMMF), which is one of the most widely accepted theoretical frameworks for measuring innovation initiatives. The resultant percentage normalized scores (PNS) lead to a set of recommendations for developing better informed, more balanced, and more powerful e-GRI and e-PI for the future.     

The role of trust in e-Government effectiveness,operational effectiveness and user satisfaction: Lessons from Saudi Arabia in e-G2B

Electronic government (e-Government) systems are becoming an essential strategic tool in the delivery of e-Government-to-Business services (e-G2B). The purpose of this research is to explore direct and indirect effects of trust in online services on the satisfaction of the e-Government service users and other perceptions such as e-G2B system effectiveness and the operational effectiveness of organizations. Based on a sample of e-G2B service users from Saudi Arabia, our preliminary findings suggest that the effects of trust on user satisfaction are mediated by e-G2B system effectiveness measures (e.g., System Quality, Service Quality, and Information Quality) and by operational effectiveness. In addition, we find that operational effectiveness and information quality are the most important drivers of user satisfaction. In contrast to previous research, our results show a negative relationship between trust in online services and service quality and suggest that this finding may have important implications for theory and practice.     

Iceberg ahead: On electronic government research and societal aging

More than ten years ago, Peterson (1999, p. 3) warned that “[g]lobal aging, like a massive iceberg, looms ahead.” Government budgets have already been hit hard by a simultaneous increase in governmental spending and a decline in tax revenue related to a growing share of the elderly to the total population. While almost all industrialized countries can expect an aging population and resulting budget stress, the implications of the graying of society for a “graying of e-Government initiatives and budgets” are not readily apparent and therefore constitutes a subject worthy of investigation. Despite the increasing importance of this issue for e-Government in practice, there remains a clear need to assess our understanding and reflection of the phenomenon. Therefore, we examine (a) whether e-Government research presently provides adequate theory, vocabulary, and methods and (b) the extent to which future e-Government research is potentially able to contribute to tackling the substantial theoretical and practical challenges related to societal aging. Accordingly, we pursue a multi-method approach in terms of sequentially applying a retrospective literature review (12 journals, vol. 2000–2009) and a prospective Delphi study (involving 24 e-Government experts). The results suggest that there is currently a significant gap between actual and potential e-Government research on societal aging. We discuss the implications for future e-Government research and describe potentially fruitful ways of bridging the prevailing gap between theory and practice.     

The willingness of e-Government service adoption by business users: The role of offline service quality and trust in technology

Prior e-Government research has paid much attention to e-Government service adoption from the supplier side - the government - while mostly overlooking the user side of e-Government, such as citizens and businesses. While there have been some initial efforts to study citizens in their adoption behavior, few have examined what influences the willingness of businesses in adopting e-Government services. This research attempts to fill this research gap by addressing the following research question: Why are some businesses more willing to adopt e-Government applications to perform transactions with the government than others? The authors argue that the willingness of a business to adopt e-Government depends on the perceived quality of government services through traditional brick and mortar service channels (offline service channels), and the level of trust businesses place in the internet technology itself. Competing hypotheses are developed with regard to the role of perceived quality of offline services on the business user's willingness to adopt e-Government services. Using data obtained from a local district government in Seoul, Korea, the analysis revealed that the willingness to adopt e-Government increased when business users perceived high quality service provision in offline service channels. However, trust in the internet technology itself did not have any significant impact on their willingness. The theoretical and practical implications of the study finding are discussed.     

Assessing citizen adoption of e-Government initiatives in Gambia: A validation of the technology acceptance model in information systems success

The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been used extensively to explain and predict users' acceptance of corporate information technology (IT). With the advancement in IT and the expanding popularity of internet applications in Gambia, e-Government has been a priority factor in rendering government services and in making information more accessible to citizens. This study shows how the TAM and e-Government initiatives would positively impact the Gambian government, despite the cultural differences within the country. This study developed a successful model of the Gambian e-Government system to assist Gambians with more efficient and cost-effective government operations. The study results reveal that the core constructs of the TAM have strong influences on user-intention towards e-Government products. This implies that the Gambian government can potentially utilize this study's TAM findings in other contextual settings to design and promote further implementation of e-Government systems.     

A collaborative decision framework for managing changes in e-Government services

Developing and maintaining e-Government services that can effectively deal with changes is a challenge for public administrations. In this paper, we address this challenge by presenting an ontology-based approach that: (i) enables systematic response of e-Government systems to changes by applying formal methods for achieving consistency when a change is discovered; (ii) enables knowledgeable response of service designers and implementers to changes by utilizing design rationale knowledge. We argue that such a synthesis of systematic response to changes with knowledge to deal with them has a positive impact on the change management process. Evaluation of the proposed approach in three case studies let us develop useful propositions for practitioners, discuss policy implications and identify future research topics.     

Exploring the role of a government authority in managing transformation in service re-engineering – Experiences from Dubai police

E-Government adoption and implementation has gained noticeable momentum across many developed and developing economies. Nevertheless, transitioning from the “electronic” to the stage of “transformational” domain – coined as t-Government – is posing the greatest challenge of how government services respond to changes in the broader economy and society. Despite considerable investments and the wide use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), research literature on e-Government suggests that government services have yet to reach the full potential of seamless integration, where all transactions are completed electronically. Through a detailed analysis of the extant e-Government literature and a case study based empirical research, this paper explores the domain of e-Government in identifying the possible reasons for this potential shortfall in achieving full integration. Furthermore, the paper intends to highlight an aspect of complexity surrounding crossing the integration gap as the authors denote by “eChasm” in the e-Government conceptual model that leads to transformation. In addition, it focuses on radical change through Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and the call for strategic style of leadership, for cross-agency collaboration leading to a successful realisation of transformational government (t-Government). It is interesting to note that researchers and public sector leaders have started to realise that implementing and managing the transformation of public services, copiously satisfying the users and stakeholders, is a task of multi-dimensional complexity.     

Using institutional theory and dynamic simulation to understand complex e-Government phenomena

Governments around the world have developed e-Government programs expecting to obtain important benefits such as improved efficiency or greater transparency. However, many e-Government projects fail to deliver their promises in terms of specific outcomes. Some of such failures are the result of a lack of understanding about the relationships among technologies, information use, organizational factors, institutional arrangements, and socio-economic contexts involved in the selection, implementation, and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), producing mismatches and unintended consequences. This paper proposes the use of institutional theory and dynamic simulation, particularly system dynamics, as an integrated and comprehensive approach to understand e-Government phenomena. Combining a sound theory and a sophisticated analytical technique will help to improve our understanding about ICT in government settings. The paper draws on the case of the e-Mexico program, particularly on the strategy to create web-based content portals for citizens in the areas of education, health, economy, and government. Using the same technological infrastructure and under the leadership of the same Federal Ministry, four different networks of government and non-government organizations engaged in the creation of internet portals and their content. The results provide evidence to demonstrate important bidirectional relationships between formal processes (institutions), agency networks (organizational forms), and the resulting characteristics of the four thematic portals (enacted technology).     

e-Government adoption model based on theory of planned behavior: Empirical validation

The e-Government phenomenon has become more important with the ever increasing number of implementations worldwide. A model explaining the e-Government adoption and the related measurement instrument – a survey – had been developed and validated in this study. In a post Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) approach, theory of planned behavior (TPB) was extended to fit the requirements of e-Government context. The adoption of student loans service of the higher education student loans and accommodation association of Turkey (KYK) was investigated to obtain data for empirical validation. The instrument was administered to over four-hundred students and partial least squares path modeling was employed to analyze the data. The results indicate that the model was an improvement over TAM in terms of predictive power. The constructs trust, perceived behavioral control and attitudes successfully explained the intention to use an e-Government service. The findings presented in this study provide useful insights for researchers and policy makers when dealing with e-Government services.     

Electronic government: information management capacity,organizational capabilities,and the sourcing mix

The information systems-related sourcing literature currently emphasizes a portfolio approach combining homegrown, hybrid, and outsourced (contracted) systems. This study found similar approaches in the sourcing for electronic government (e-Government, e-Gov). E-Gov-related sourcing mixes potentially create high switching costs and path dependency. They may also severely impact governments' information management capacity and organizational capabilities. Further, e-Government leads to business process change, all of which necessitates an increased understanding of e-Gov-related sourcing and its integration with traditional public management information systems (PMIS). In the absence of an e-Gov-specific sourcing theory, this study explores current sourcing practices and uncovers overlaps in sourcing concepts and also significant differences between private and public sourcing practices. E-Gov sourcing portfolios were found not systematically managed potentially compromising the public information management capacity. To help public managers design and manage e-Gov sourcing mixes, the article proposes framework for e-Government sourcing for further testing.     

Measuring user satisfaction from e-Government services: Lessons from Jordan

User satisfaction is a crucial factor for continual usage of e-Government services and for the success or failure of e-Government projects. The main challenge for Jordanians is what are the key determinants of their satisfaction? This paper aims to identify the key factors that determine Jordanians' e-Satisfaction with Jordan's e-Government services portal. Based on an extensive review of relevant literature, five hypotheses are formulated and five factors are identified (i.e., security and privacy, trust, accessibility, awareness of public services, and quality of public services) that may affect the Jordanians' level of satisfaction towards using the Jordan e-Government portal (www.jordan.gov.jo). Survey data from 400 employees in four universities in the northern region of Jordan were collected and used to test the proposed hypotheses. Based on multiple linear regression and factor analyses, our empirical analysis demonstrates several key findings. These findings indicate the usefulness and importance to unveil the key drivers of e-Satisfaction so as to provide feedback in a set of recommendations that will enable creating e-Government portals which are compatible with citizens' needs, desires, and expectations. They also provide insights for both practitioners and governmental policy-makers to enhance e-Government portals via accounting diverse factors of technical, behavioral, managerial, and motivational aspects. Finally, implications and recommendations of these findings were discussed.     

Conception, development and implementation of an e-Government maturity model in public agencies

Governments worldwide are encouraging public agencies to join e-Government initiatives in order to provide better services to their citizens and businesses; hence, methods of evaluating the readiness of individual public agencies to execute specific e-Government programs and directives are a key ingredient in the successful expansion of e-Government. To satisfy this need, a model called the eGovernment Maturity Model (eGov-MM) was developed, integrating the assessment of technological, organizational, operational, and human capital capabilities, under a multi-dimensional, holistic, and evolutionary approach. The model is strongly supported by international best practices, and provides tuning mechanisms to enable its alignment with nation-wide directives on e-Government. This article describes how the model was conceived, designed, developed, field tested by expert public officials from several government agencies, and finally applied to a selection of 30 public agencies in Chile, generating the first formal measurements, assessments, and rankings of their readiness for e-Government. The implementation of the model also provided several recommendations to policymakers at the national and agency levels.     

Transformational change and business process reengineering (BPR): Lessons from the British and Dutch public sector

Facilitated by electronic government, public agencies are looking for transformational change by making a radical improvement. At first glance, this development is similar to the business process re-engineering (BPR) movement in the private sector. While policy makers and practitioners in the public sector have branded their recent improvements as BPR, the academic and research community have thus far eluded from making any comparisons. This has left a vacuum in terms of understanding the complexity of the challenges facing e-Government re-engineering and resultant change in public agencies. The aim of this paper is to translate the BPR movement findings to the field of e-Government induced change in the public sector. BPR characteristics and challenges are derived using normative literature and compared with two cases of public sector transformation in the UK and Netherlands. The results of these cases show that e-Government-induced change requires a plan for a radical improvement which, in contrast to BPR, is obtained by incremental steps and has a high level of participation. The findings offer policy makers valuable insights into the complexities and possible strategies that may need to be followed in order to succeed in e-Government implementation.     

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology and organizational change: Evidence for the bureaucratic and e-Government paradigms

This paper examines the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology on organizational change in local governments in the United States. The bureaucratic and e-Government paradigms are examined with regards to this technology impacting organizational change. Survey evidence on the adoption of CRM is examined from the perceptions of Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) in cities and counties that have adopted this technology. Survey results indicate that both the e-Government and bureaucratic paradigms impacted organizational change from CRM adoption. Factor analysis shows that management change, efficiency change, and leadership and organizational change are the three most common factors in the models. Regression results indicate that local governments that score high on these factors are more likely to take an enterprise approach in the adoption of CRM for their local government. The results of this study imply that organizational change is not just influenced by the more recent e-Government paradigm, but traditional attributes of the bureaucratic model are present as well.     

Lean government and platform-based governance—Doing more with less

Governments from all over the world are looking for ways to reduce costs while at the same time to stimulate innovation. While pursuing both objectives, governments face a major challenge—to operate in a connected environment, engage stakeholders and solve societal problems by utilizing new methods, tools, practices and governance models. As result, fundamental changes are taking place on how government operates. Such changes are under the larger umbrella of ‘lean government’ (l-Government). Lean government is a new wave which is appearing as a response to traditional approaches—like electronic government (e-Government) and transformational government (t-Government), and aims at reducing the complexity of the public sector by simplifying and streamlining organizational structures and processes, at the same time at stimulating innovation by mobilizing stakeholders. In l-Government, public organizations introduce platforms facilitating innovation and interactions with other public organizations, business and citizens, and focus on their orchestration role. Experimentation, assessment and gradual improvement based on user requirements are key factors for realizing l-Government.     

Exploring best practices in public–private partnership (PPP) in e-Government through select Asian case studies

e-Government has emerged as a popular governance reform in recent years, to improve the productivity of the government and quality of services provided by it to various stake-holders. However, e-Government implementation is hampered by certain roadblocks such as lack of financial resources, lack of technical and soft skills, etc. Public–private partnership (PPP) has emerged as a viable model to counter these factors, apart from improving the economic sustainability of e-Government projects. PPP essentially implies sharing of risks and rewards of a venture. Successful implementation of PPP in e-Government requires the adoption of some key best practices, and incorporation of the learning obtained from previous PPP experiences. Four successful “PPP in e-Government” projects, implemented in Asia, are discussed to highlight the best practices and key learning obtained from each project. This is intended to highlight the necessary steps to be taken, especially in an Asian setting, to implement a successful PPP in e-Government.     

An analysis of African e-Government service websites

In most African countries, compared to any other part of the world, the use of information and communication technologies such as those necessary to provide e-Government services is minimal. The continent was once labeled a “technological desert.” The contributing factors, among others, are lack of infrastructure, low literacy rates, low economic development, and a variety of cultural factors. Despite these obstacles, most African countries have made noticeable progress during the last couple of decades. Almost all African governments now have some presence on the Web, including fully fledged e-Government web portals, albeit in small numbers. However, the current status of e-Government services in African countries is not well documented in detail. We present results of a comprehensive analysis of 582 e-Government service websites with respect to the type of websites, the services and features available, as well as the level of development of e-Government services. We also compute e-Government indexes, produce e-Government rankings, and compare our rankings to previous ones. A clear picture that emerges from our analysis and results is that although progress has been made, there is a long way to go, to bridge not only the North–South divide when it comes to e-Government services but also among the various sub-regions. In addition, recommendations for future researchers regarding e-Government services in Africa are made.     

e-Government readiness: Does national culture matter?

e-Government readiness varies significantly across nations. This research explored the relationship of national culture values and practice to e-Government readiness. Eighteen hypotheses were formulated and tested. With the exception of performance orientation and assertiveness, national culture values and practices correlated negatively and positively with e-Government readiness. In addition, gender egalitarianism, institutional collectivism, performance orientation, and uncertainty avoidance values were found to be key determinants of e-Government readiness. The findings of this research provide a foundation for culturally-based policies and strategies aiming at enhancing e-Government readiness across nations.