Taiwan e-Government Research Articles

Exploring the determinants of cross-boundary information sharing in the public sector: An e-Government case study in Taiwan

This paper explores the complexity of cross-boundary information sharing in the public sector. In particular, determinants influencing interagency information sharing are investigated and discussed, and a case study of Taiwan e-Government is employed. Four perspectives, including technology, organization, legislation and policy, and environment, are used to conduct this exploratory inquiry. Legislation and policy is found to be the most influential factor among government agencies participating in information-sharing initiatives. Organizational factors are also found to be significant, but less so than legislation and policy. Technological factors are considered relatively more easily addressed when compared with legislation and policy and organizational factors. Finally, situational factors are also found to have respective impacts on interagency information sharing. In addition to factors that are discussed in the current literature, newly identified factors are illustrated to provide insights. Moreover, in order to better conceptualize how identified factors determine agencies’ intentions towards cross-boundary information sharing, theory of planned behaviour is used to form a theoretical discussion by integrating the identified factors of the study. Practical implications are also provided to address how cross-boundary information sharing among government agencies can be better achieved. Lastly, the conclusion outlines the contributions and limitations of this research and suggests future studies related to the current work.

What to Share and Why to Share? A Case Study of Cross Boundary Information Sharing in Taiwan e-Government

In the public sector, cross-boundary information sharing has been an important theme among governmental collaboration and is critical to organizational efficiency and performance. This research explores the types and characteristics of shared information and the intended purposes of information sharing. In the case study, the cross-boundary shared information can be abstracted into five fundamental types: the collected raw data, the value-added information, the administration-oriented information, the administration-oriented knowledge, and the domain-oriented knowledge. Another framework is proposed to conceptualize the purposes of interagency information sharing. The identified seven purposes are administrative work, information search and verification, information aggregation, business process chain, innovative service, experience-based knowledge sharing, and crisis and emergency. The seven purposes do not mean to be an exhaustive list but to provide an initial conceptualization to perceive the functionalities and roles that cross-boundary information sharing plays among government agencies. The two proposed frameworks can help both researchers and practitioners perceive and clarify the fundamental part of cross-boundary information sharing in the public sector. The finding of this research is also expected to enrich the current information-sharing theories and to contribute to the current e-Government literature from an international perspective.

Assessing web services of emerging economies in an Eastern country — Taiwan's e-government

Accessibility of much country-level information and many web services, originating from governments are a global standard. The governments of emerging economies in the eastern countries especially need to adopt, without undue delay, the advanced technologies for providing better web services to their citizens. However, consideration and evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of governments' web services is currently lacking in previous literature. Thus, this study first adopts a computational approach suggested in the literature to measure the effectiveness of Taiwan's established, city- and county-level (25 cities and counties, and 1411 governmental units) governments' websites. Then, by considering the IT-related input and output resources as suggested by the experts of e-government during several in-depth interviews, data envelopment analysis (DEA) evaluates the efficiency of Taiwan's governmental web services. This study reveals that the well-developed web services provided by Taiwan's government are apparent in two geographically dispersed cities (north and south) and one county in the northern region of Taiwan. In addition, six cities and counties appear to be ineffective and inefficient in providing web services to Taiwan's citizens due to their geographical remoteness from the capital and small regional populations. An additional finding confirms the significant effect of population size on Taiwanese services for e-government in each city and county. Finally, this study suggests applying more attention to website designs for different levels or regions of governments and building alternative communication channels for citizens with different backgrounds. Consequently, providing citizens' most-requested services becomes easier, and the resources' distribution becomes effective and efficient for those in different geographical locations. This study's findings represent a reference for providing better electronic publically accessible services, and a benchmark for scholars conducting further research in this area.

The boundaries of information sharing and integration: A case study of Taiwan e-Government

Abstract The paper explores boundaries of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in the context of Taiwan e-Government by using an integrated framework of boundaries adopted from the literature. The discussion of the various boundaries provides a thorough lens to understand the complexity of cross-boundary information sharing and integration. The adopted framework of boundaries is proved to be a useful analytical tool to perceive various vertical and horizontal boundaries in initiatives of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in different e-Government contexts. A new process boundary in the vertical dimension is also identified. In addition, the case shows that centralized information systems can help government agencies to cross the boundaries of information sharing and reduce the number of boundaries government agencies may encounter. Lastly, it is perceived that vertical boundaries are not always easier to cross than horizontal boundaries.

Addressing the Position in a Customer-focused Internet Business Model:The Diversity between Central Agencies and Local Agencies in Taiwan's e-Government

Addressing the Position in a Customer-focused Internet Business Model:The Diversity between Central Agencies and Local Agencies in Taiwan's e-Government

Applications of Both Cloud Computing and E-government in Taiwan

Cloud computing helps improve E-government execution effectiveness and create new business opportunities. Cloud computing is an evolution of web based internet application and describes a new supplement, consumption, and delivery model for IT and ICT services based on the Internet. It enables sharing of resources and costs across a large pool of users while providing on-demand services with dynamic scalability. This paper takes a close look at global trend and studies global practices of egovernment projects and strategies. This so-called the “Next Generation Internet” in e-government makes use of the advancements in IT and GIS to improve the policy efficiency, effectiveness and knowledge management. Taiwan’s government has targeted cloud computing as the focus of both egovernment and industry development for further advance its technologies and applications. Egovernment projects focus on the build-up of Information Technology infrastructure and the delivery of web based government services. Its successful implementation can elevate the future of Taiwan will be to the rank of both information technology & information and communication technology leadership.

Managing process-centred e-government in Taiwan: a customer relationship management approach

The authors surveyed major government departments/agencies in Taiwan, a world leader in e-service, to explore how process management can reduce service quality gaps. The study found that: implementation of CRM strategies and TQM will enable an e-government to improve services; processes differ widely - a government needs to understand current conditions and the attributes of its services in allocating limited resources; e-government promotion must start with redesigning administrative processes from a customer's point of view; to provide better customer service and thereby add value to their services, all departments/agencies will need to do well on process management; the front-end system of customer interface must be periodically reviewed to improve the degrees of load and repetition in the service process; for reasons related to shared exposure to propaganda and education, employees responsible for e-service in Taiwan tend to express similar opinions on communication, training, and implementation.