ICT-enabled Governance Research Articles

Digital governance in rural Chengdu, China: Its potential for social-ecological resilience

In this study, we echo the call from the UN to interpret Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their regional context—in this case, the linpan (wooded lot) landscape of the Chengdu Plain, in Sichuan, China, where the shocks and stresses of recent, rapid administrative-economic urbanization are testing the resilience of some of the world's most sustainably productive and long- and densely-settled agrarian environments. In recent years, fine-grained information and communications technology (ICT) governance tools in Chengdu, such as “grid management”, present opportunities to sustain and scale up the collection of data necessary to validate and refine indicators of landscape resilience, and use them to regulate development, in accordance with SDG goal 11 to enhance legislation, governance, and capacity via information gathering and sharing. ICT-based governance in combination with traditional place-based knowledge can play a critical role in ensuring the resilience of urban-rural co-development. To realize this potential, however, ICT-enabled governance needs to incorporate greater transparency and more local feedback loops and enable greater participation from older farmers and women, to inform household and community-level land-use choices and initiatives. It also needs to link regulatory functions with marketing and pricing functions so that farmers may benefit from the sustainable practices they are encouraged to adopt.

Are government employees adopting local e-government transformation?

PurposeThis study aims to examine the association of technology acceptance variables with the intention of adopting e-government transformation, as defined by four dimensions, namely, using new technology systems, redesigning of governmental processes, restructuring of governmental organization and changing the organizational culture and behavior, from the perspective of city government employees in Indonesia and the Philippines.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative approach was used in the conduct of this research. Variables were operationalized into indicators, which were transmuted into a self-reported survey questionnaire. Survey data obtained from purposively sampled city government employees were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsFindings suggest that attitude is a pivotal predictor of intention to adopt e-government transformation across all four dimensions, while performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions also positively influence the intention to adopt process redesign, organizational structuring and cultural and behavioral change in the city government. Respondents’ length of work experience appears as a significant moderating variable.Research limitations/implicationsThis study reports only on the findings from two cities in two countries, Surabaya in Indonesia and Davao in the Philippines. The determination of the sample size was done through purposive sampling, so the application of results should be done with prudence. The constructs used for the research model were chosen because of their prominence in the literature. This study made use of a simple linear regression model in hypothesizing the relationships of the constructs.Practical implicationsFor e-government transformation to be adoptable and efficacious, supporting and facilitating conditions are necessary. Structural, technical and financial support, as well as legal framework, for local e-government transformation should be in place. Maintaining and sustaining the positive attitude toward it should be done.Originality/valueAlthough many studies have been conducted on adoption of ICT-enabled government services from the citizens’ viewpoint, little has been done from the local government employees’ perspective, and no prior cross-country study has been made. This study fills those gaps in the e-government adoption literature. Further, this study has shown that technology acceptance variables’ roles as predictors of behavioral intention can be extended to other dimensions of e-government.

A cultural theory analysis of e-government: Insights from a local government council in Malaysia

In this paper, we use the ways of life proposed by cultural theory—hierarchism, fatalism, individualism, and egalitarianism—to explain the social relations and dynamics over time, which affected the ability to implement and manage a major ICT-enabled government change initiative (e-services). This is illustrated using an in-depth case study of one local government council in Malaysia. Our analysis found culture to be evident across multiple levels, including organizational (local council), subgroup (project team, operators, user group) and individual (IT consultants) in the context of the e-services project. More specifically, various characteristics of the ways of life were salient in the e-services project, particularly during the early years—mostly, hierarchism and fatalism at the organizational and subgroup levels, and individualism at the individual level. Furthermore, the study found changes, for instance, the emergence of egalitarianism at the subgroup level over time. The paper acknowledges that in order for researchers to understand how culture influences e-government, the focus of attention needs to shift from solely concentrating on the organizational level to also understanding the dynamic and fragmented nature of culture at the group and individual levels.

Shaping public sector innovation theory: an interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation

The paper discusses from a conceptual standpoint the need for renewing the lenses through which looking at the phenomenon of ICT-enabled innovation in governance and policy-making, suggesting that a possible `new theory of public sector innovation´ should be advanced. In doing this, it should be considered the specific networked structure of governance systems, the policy-making goals of public value, as well as the various constituencies and stakeholders' relationships that characterize the public sector. For this purpose, the paper first presents the key findings of an extensive literature review conducted to support the quest for renewing ICT-enabled innovation in the public sector and the manner in which it is measured and evaluated. Then, building on recent research conducted by the authors an interpretative framework to assess how ICT-enabled innovations produce changes in governance processes is proposed and discussed. The paper ends with conclusions and indications on future research.

Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance: Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework

In the European academic and institutional debate, interoperability is predominantly seen as a means to enable public administrations to collaborate within Members State and across borders. The article presents a conceptual framework for ICT-enabled governance and analyses the role of interoperability in this regard. The article makes a specific reference to the exploratory research project carried out by the Information Society Unit of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre on emerging ICT-enabled governance models in EU cities (EXPGOV). The aim of this project is to study the interplay between ICTs and governance processes at city level and formulate an interdisciplinary framework to assess the various dynamics emerging from the application of ICT-enabled service innovations in European cities. In this regard, the conceptual framework proposed in this article results from an action research perspective and investigation of e-governance experiences carried out in Europe. It aims to elicit the main value drivers that should orient how interoperable systems are implemented, considering the reciprocal influences that occur between these systems and different governance models in their specific context.

Convergence of Wireless Technologies in Consolidating E-Government Applications in Sub-Saharan Africa

The convergence of wireless applications presents a greater hope for consolidating e-Government (ICT-enabled or online government) applications even in resource-constrained countries such as those in Africa. This chapter presents an exploratory study that aims at discussing the extent as to how convergence of wireless technologies from different vendors promises to contribute to the consolidation of e-Government applications in Sub-Saharan-Africa (SSA). This is done by reviewing the different adoption stages of ICT and e-Government in SSA. It looks at challenges facing adoption of wireless technologies (GSMs, Wireless Internet Access, satellite transmission, etc.) across all the socio-economic value chains in SSA. The chapter looks at Botswana and South Africa as case studies by bringing out the different interventions that have been done in the realm of facilitating a conducive environment for the convergence of different wireless technologies. Out of the analysis of legal, regulatory, market and spectrum policies affecting the adoption of wireless communications in SSAs, the chapter draws out recommendations on how to consolidate wireless communications to be adopted in different socio-economic setups (e.g. e-government, e-Health, e-Banking, etc.).

E-governance for development: lessons learned and strategic principles for designing an operational roadmap

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and governance. The paper discusses its implications for developing and emerging countries, in particular in the Mediterranean region. In defining the organisational and institutional dimensions underpinning ICT-enabled governance, the paper positions e-government activities within the broader framework of e-governance, as a learning type of dynamics. Finally, the paper presents selected results from field cases of the application of the e-government for Mediterranean Countries (MCs) (eG4M) methodology. The results are used as the main tools for defining issues to be considered for developing e-governance guidelines.

News and Briefs

The following brief items are outlined: connecting African parliaments and citizens through innovative ICT applications: the Africa4all parliamentary initiative; Highlights of the 2nd International Conference on Electronic Participation – ePart 2010; and the new research roadmap for ICT-enabled governance, from the CROSSROAD project.