Elucidating usage of e-government learning: A perspective of the extended technology acceptance model

Learning is critical to both economic prosperity and social cohesion. E-government learning, which refers to the government's use of web-based technologies to facilitate learning about subjects that are useful to citizens, is relatively new, relevant, and potentially cost-effective. This work proposes and verifies that the technology acceptance model (TAM) can explain and predict usage of e-government learning. The TAM examines how perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness and their antecedents influence intention and usage of a system. This study identifies antecedents that account for individual differences, thereby enhancing the explanatory power of the built model. A survey is used to collect data from users of an e-government learning website in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling is employed to examine the fit of the data to the model. From a theoretical point of view, this research extends the TAM to e-government learning and identifies the perceived e-government learning value and perceived enjoyment as antecedents of usage of e-government learning. This study also provides directions for future research and approaches to promote e-government learning.     

The perceived impacts of e-government on U.S. cities: A survey of Florida and Texas City managers

This study examines the perceived impacts of electronic government or e-government adoption on U.S. cities. This research conducted a survey of Texas and Florida city managers in the fall of 2005 to find out their opinions on the impact of e-government on their city government. The results indicated that e-government is having a positive impact on management, stakeholder involvement, needs and collaboration, and procurement in American cities. There are, however, concerns over spam or unsolicited e-mail and the ability of e-government to reduce the level of staffing. The results of this study imply that, according to city managers' perceptions, e-government adoption in American city governments is positively viewed as having an impact on their organizations and communities.     

Fifteen years of e-government research in Ibero-America: A bibliometric analysis

In this article it is presented a bibliometric analysis of e-government research in the Ibero-American (IA) Community. Data from the Scopus® database relating to 1129 research documents published between 2003 and 2017 was used. Presented analyzes include the most productive and impacting researchers, institutions and countries; determinants for country results; most relevant subject areas and specific research themes; and international cooperation patterns, namely within the IA Community. Contrary to what happens worldwide, e-government research production is still rising in IA. Besides the general heterogeneity, there are four relatively homogenous groups of countries to what concerns production and impact: leading, evolving, emerging, and expectant countries. IA has distinctive characteristics that make it interesting as an object of study and that constitute an opportunity for further development. Nevertheless, for results to continue to evolve, it is relevant that public policies related to e-government development and the promotion of research continue to be developed and that cooperation among IA researchers is properly promoted and supported.     

The e-government research domain: A triple helix network analysis of collaboration at the regional,country, and institutional levels

This study introduces a hybrid approach (i.e., a social network analysis technique and triple helix indicators) to study certain aspects of the e-government (EG) domain that would otherwise remain hidden when using conventional analytic tools. Particularly, we provide network analysis of the EG research domain by focusing on the network collaboration between regions, nations and institutions. We collected and analyzed 1091 scholarly papers which were classified as being about “e-government” by the Web of Science database. The results indicate that hybrid method can be used to understand certain network-level structures and patterns in the EG domain which are beyond the scope of the predominantly-used systematic literature review (SLR) method. Particularly, the hybrid method is useful in understanding collaboration patterns between countries, institutions and regions in the EG domain, identifying key players by studying their network properties (i.e., degree centralities); and in understanding the pattern of relations among universities, industries, and government. The implications of these results in terms of research and practice, and study limitations are discussed.     

From one-stop shop to no-stop shop: An e-government stage model

This paper responds to two observations about current government service delivery. First, despite reasonable efforts to improve the design of forms and to establish single points of contact in one-stop shops, citizens still perceive forms as cumbersome. Second, citizens expect governments to act proactively by initiating appropriate government services themselves, instead of relying on requests for services from citizens. To address these two issues, this paper proposes a transition from a one-stop shop to a no-stop shop, where the citizen does not have to perform any action or fill in any forms to receive government services. The contribution of this paper is an e-government stage model that extends existing models. Stage models are suitable tools with which to inspire future developments, and ours extends previous models that guide progress toward the one-stop shop by describing two further stages: the limited no-stop shop and the no-stop shop. We define three dimensions along which to progress: integration of data collection, integration of data storage, and purpose of data use. We provide a first test of the model's validity through three case studies: the e-government practices in Austria, Estonia, and an Australian state government. Our work complements existing research on e-government stage models and proactive government service delivery.     

A conceptual model for the development of broadband and e-government

The paper discusses the interconnection of the adoption and diffusion of broadband (‘BB’), e-government (‘EG’) and e-commerce (‘EC’) services. It provides a structured literature review and proposes a conceptual framework for studying the interconnection of the development and adoption of BB, EG and EC. The interconnections of various concepts are shown along with several hypotheses that are thoroughly theoretically grounded. The role of different technology acceptance models is discussed, while the importance of including various aspects in policy preparation analyses is emphasized.     

Cross-boundary e-government systems: Determinants of performance

This study examines the performance of a cross-boundary e-government system. It draws from studies in the fields of e-government, collaborative public management, and information system success with a focus on inter-organizational information systems to develop a conceptual framework. This framework includes efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability as key performance measures; identifies technical, managerial, and inter-organizational factors for success; and develops hypotheses accordingly. Empirical investigation utilizes user-level data from an inter-organizational e-government system that provides integrated commerce and industry service. The results underscore the importance of management support, shared goals, and inter-agency trust in improving all three measures of performance. In addition, citizen-centric and innovative organizational culture enhances efficiency and accountability while administrative interdependence impacts effectiveness and accountability. The managerial and theoretical implications of these findings and future research opportunities are also explored.     

Resistance and support to electronic government,building a model of innovation

In several countries forces that resist e-government innovations apparently override those that support them. A first step is taken in order to identify organizational processes of resistance and support to e-government innovations. A multi-disciplinary and non-linear innovation model is proposed that is inspired by the Minnesota Innovation Research Program's Innovation Pathway-model. The proposed model grasps the whole process of adoption and implementation of e-government services. Observable indicators of resistance and support on the complete innovation pathway of electronic government are derived from the proposed model. Future research will have to conceptually refine and empirically test both model and indicators.     

Understanding the evolution of e-government: The influence of systems of rules on public sector dynamics

Electronic government has been defined as the use of information and communication technologies in government settings. However, it is neither a homogeneous nor a static phenomenon. Recent empirical studies have identified two important dynamics in e-government evolution. First, e-government in general has evolved from its initial presence on the Internet to more transactional and integrated applications. Second, at the aggregate level and as a general trend, national governments have started adding technological and organizational sophistication and state and local governments have followed. Based on the study of systems of rules, this paper argues that these two dynamics in the evolution of e-government are, at least in part, the result of pressures from public managers attempting to solve problems and from citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders, attempting to control the actions of public managers. Both forces, related to performance and accountability, respectively, have promoted change in the systems of rules governing the design, implementation, and use of e-government initiatives. Specifically, they have generated a cycle that continually increases technological and organizational sophistication in e-government initiatives and have also promoted the episodic and evolving adoption of similar features across levels of government. These two related evolutionary dynamics and the characterization of e-government as systems of rules and standards have some important policy implications, which are briefly discussed at the end of the paper.     

Integration and coordination: Advancing China's fragmented e-government to holistic governance

In the context of Political Science, fragmentation refers to the process of decentralization, department differentiation and division of management in governmental institutions. Increasingly fragmented features emerge in China's administrative values, public resource operation, public organizational structures and public service provision in the post-industrial age, which affect the planning and implementation of e-government and inevitably map onto virtual government, leading to a fragmented Chinese e-government. Although most of the literature include impediments or measures to China's e-government, hardly any research can be found that focuses on theoretically identifying and innovating the way to handle problems. An aim of this research is to determine that holistic governance could be considered a rational choice for the transformation from fragmentation to holistic development and an effective measure for the sound advancement of e-government.     

An institutional analysis of an e-government system for anti-corruption: The case of OPEN

E-government is increasingly being used to improve transparency in the government sector and to combat corruption. Using institutional theory as an analytical perspective, this study documents and evaluates the development of an anti-corruption system called OPEN (Online Procedures ENhancement for civil application) in the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Incorporating three distinctive (yet interrelated) dimensions of institutionalization (regulatory/coercive, cognitive/mimetic, and normative), and four anti-corruption strategies embedded in the system, this study investigates how an e-government system for anti-corruption in a local government has evolved and become a prototype of a national system to be used for the same purpose. The findings show that in implementing OPEN, a system for anti-corruption, the regulatory dimension was most effective, and (as in many IS implementations) strong leadership was crucial to its success.     

COBRA framework to evaluate e-government services: A citizen-centric perspective

E-government services involve many stakeholders who have different objectives that can have an impact on success. Among these stakeholders, citizens are the primary stakeholders of government activities. Accordingly, their satisfaction plays an important role in e-government success. Although several models have been proposed to assess the success of e-government services through measuring users' satisfaction levels, they fail to provide a comprehensive evaluation model. This study provides an insight and critical analysis of the extant literature to identify the most critical factors and their manifested variables for user satisfaction in the provision of e-government services. The various manifested variables are then grouped into a new quantitative analysis framework consisting of four main constructs: cost; benefit; risk and opportunity (COBRA) by analogy to the well-known SWOT qualitative analysis framework. The COBRA measurement scale is developed, tested, refined and validated on a sample group of e-government service users in Turkey. A structured equation model is used to establish relationships among the identified constructs, associated variables and users' satisfaction. The results confirm that COBRA framework is a useful approach for evaluating the success of e-government services from citizens' perspective and it can be generalised to other perspectives and measurement contexts.     

Business perceptions and satisfaction with e-government: Findings from a Canadian survey

This paper examines business perceptions and satisfaction with e-government. Survey data is analyzed from businesses across Canada to determine their use of e-government and their perceived satisfaction with this technology for public service delivery. There are three research questions of this paper: 1) Are there significant differences for businesses that use the internet to contact government compared to those that do not? 2) Is there is a relationship between having a more positive perception overall by business of government and e-government satisfaction? and 3) Is there a relationship between businesses having input into regulatory changes, essentially being inclusive of business in the regulatory process, and e-government satisfaction? The results from the statistical models indicated that all three questions were confirmed. The findings of this study imply that governments should try to understand the business environment. A more positive attitude by business towards government, and being more inclusive of business in regulatory changes, leads to greater e-government satisfaction.     

Citizens as customers: Exploring the future of CRM in UK local government

Customer relationship management (CRM) is seen as a key element in delivering citizen-centric public services in the UK. However, CRM originated in the private sector as a technology to support customer acquisition, retention and extension (cross-selling). The appropriateness of this technology to organizations striving to meet complex goals such as improving the quality of life for vulnerable people is open to question. This paper uses the results of recent UK electronic government CRM programs to show that the focus for many local authorities has so far been systems integration, CRM-enabling call centers and the provision of routine transactions online. More advanced authorities are planning to use CRM to help them understand their citizens better. But more can be done. To this end, the paper proposes an alternative model of CRM progress which moves beyond transactions and customer insight and encourages citizens to co-produce the public services they consume.     

电子文件管理的国际进展、发展趋势与未来方向

近年来电子文件管理研究的文献数量逐年增多,但多局限于单一国家或少数国家的电子文件管理经验,并大多关注电子政务背景下的电子文件管理系统建设问题,视角多基于信息技术或文件档案管理.本文采用文献调查和典型案例研究方法,对2008年以来的代表性英文期刊文献和澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰、英国和美国的代表性电子文件管理法规、政策、标准及最佳实践指南进行了分析,旨在发现国际领域电子文件管理综合解决方案的国际进展、发展趋势和未来方向.研究揭示,越来越多的国家认识到电子文件管理的问题与挑战并将其列入电子政务建设的议程;采用多学科合作方法将文件作为信息资源和业务资产进行管理是电子文件管理的国际化发展趋势;制定综合集成管理方案整合、优化和创新组织和国家层次的电子文件管理和电子政务建设方案是电子文件管理的未来发展方向.     

Opportunities and threats: A security assessment of state e-government websites

This study assessed the security of the U.S. state e-government sites to identify opportunities for and threats to the sites and their users. The study used a combination of three methods – web content analysis, information security auditing, and computer network security mapping – for data collection and analysis. The findings indicate that most state e-government sites posted privacy and security policy statements; however, only less than half stated clearly what security measures were in action. Second, the information security audit revealed that 98% of the sites secured users' accounts with SSL encryption for data transmission, and the sites' search tools enable public users to search for public information only. Third, although the sites had most of their internet ports filtered or behind firewalls, all of them had their main IP addresses detected and their port 80/tcp open. The study discussed the threats and opportunities and suggested possible solutions for improving e-government security.     

Strategic alignment of participant motivations in e-government collaborations: The Internet Payment Platform pilot

Large-scale information technology implementations are risky projects, and the challenges and risks multiply when multiple organizations are involved, as is often the case in e-government initiatives. Some of the risk can be addressed by carefully aligning the partners' motivations, which are affected by each organization's internal and external operational and information technology strategies. In this paper, we propose a strategic alignment framework and use it to examine the motivations of a set of collaborating government agencies and businesses in the pilot implementation of the Internet Payment Platform, an interorganizational, third-party hosted, e-procurement system. As we predict, the partners in this study had varied technical, political, economic, and operational motivations for participating in the project. Even so, the participating agencies reported positive outcomes from the project, and look forward to further collaboration on the next iteration of this e-procurement system.     

Channel choice and public service delivery in Canada: Comparing e-government to traditional service delivery

This study examines channel choice and public service delivery in Canada, comparing e-government to traditional service delivery channels such as the phone or visiting a government office. Factors studied include the digital divide, the nature of the citizen interaction with government, public service values, and satisfaction with services received by citizens. These factors are used to determine whether they impacted choice of channel and satisfaction with that channel. This study, through logistic regression of a public opinion survey of Canadian residents, found indications suggesting a digital divide in accessing e-government; found that government websites were most commonly used for information purposes, while the phone was most commonly used to solve problems. In regards to citizens' satisfaction, the apparent digital divide was bridged when females and older Canadians were more satisfied with their contact with a government website. In addition, a positive experience with service delivery and positive public service values lead to greater website satisfaction. The results of this study imply that the phone is a more effective service channel for solving problems, and the website is more effective for getting information. Therefore, governments need to provide multiple contact channels for citizens, depending upon their task at hand, while ensuring consistency of information and service response across channels. Creating a positive experience for citizens when they received a service translates into a more satisfied experience with e-government.     

Upstream supply chain management in e-government: The case of Slovenia

The paper highlights the importance of the holistic treatment of e-government. The main challenges and benefits of renovating both upstream and downstream e-government supply chains are reviewed. A new definition of e-government that includes the whole supply chain of the public administration is proposed. Several limitations of current approaches and rankings, that often neglect upstream SC and their detrimental consequences, are highlighted. The case study of the somewhat unsuccessful informatization of Slovenian public procurement illustrates the main problems posed by ignorance of supply chain management principles. It shows that the main challenges are not on the technological side but are instead connected with business process renovation, project management, unclear goals and responsibilities and difficult coordination among various ministerial and governmental bodies.     

Governance in the digital age: A research and action framework for an uncertain future

Research into relationships among government, society and technology has grown substantially over the past 30 years. However, most research and most advances in practice address narrowly defined categories of concern such as government organization, citizen services, interoperability, or personal privacy. By contrast, the future presents complex and dynamic challenges that demand a more holistic and flexible perspective, including consideration of what constitutes an appropriate infrastructure for continued development of government and governance in the digital age. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for considering the future, drawn from a stakeholder-driven investigation into potential scenarios of society and government. The framework reflects a dynamic socio-technical system encompassing interactions among societal trends, human elements, changing technology, information management, interaction and complexity, and the purpose and role of government.