Government policy-making emphasis worldwide is moving increasingly to how ICT can be used to achieve effi ciency savings ( Gershon 2004 ) or to transform activities ( Cabinet Offi ce; Transformational Government 2005 ). The role of ICT in achieving effi ciency benefi ts or supporting transformational change is almost universally accepted by policy-makers, despite the fact that little robust evidence exists. eGovernment evaluation methodologies are reviewed and evidence is provided in this paper to demonstrate that transformational eGovernment projects produce greater benefi ts than other types of initiatives. The level of benefi ts for different groups of benefi ciaries is examined. A key factor determining benefi ts and impact of any project is the number of users of the service and/or the frequency of use of a system. Paul Foley is in the Leicester Business School, De Montfort University. Ximena Alfonso is a managing partner in Alfonso Duncan Consulting, Leicester.

A number of central government policy initiatives in the UK are encouraging the sharing of information between government and other partners. A relatively large amount of information is available to enhance social inclusion but this data does not always have the detail (granularity) required to investigate small areas. As a result information sharing of locally generated information is increasing in the UK, particularly for issues such as health and crime where information is not readily available for Local Authorities. Legal and ethical issues associated with sharing locally generated information are frequently perceived as problematical. Examples of methods and protocols to overcome these problems are reviewed. It is possible that the activities of the Cabinet Office Committee on data sharing (MISC31) will act as an incentive for data sharing. However, an equally important catalyst will be commitment and support across UK central government and at the local level by Chief Executives and members to the principles and benefits of information sharing for better informed policymaking.