E‐Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes

Abstract

The impact of new technology on public-sector service delivery and citizens' attitudes about government has long been debated by political observers. This article assesses the consequences of egovernment for service delivery, democratic responsiveness, and public attitudes over the last three years. Research examines the content of e-government to investigate whether it is taking advantage of the interactive features of the World Wide Web to improve service delivery, democratic responsiveness, and public outreach. In addition, a national public opinion survey examines the ability of e-government to influence citizens' views about government and their confidence in the effectiveness of service delivery. Using both Web site content as well as public assessments, I argue that, in some respects, the e-government revolution has fallen short of its potential to transform service delivery and public trust in government. It does, however, have the possibility of enhancing democratic responsiveness and boosting beliefs that government is effective.

Priorities, policies and practice of e-government in a developing country context: ICT infrastructure and diffusion in Jamaica

“…In a similar vein many other authors have pointed to the difficulties of realising radical change rooted in the inherent incrementalism of organisations, political constraints and competing institutional arrangements (e.g. West, 2004;Norris & Moon, 2005;Barca & Cordella, 2006;Dhillon et al, 2008). Such views, however, contrast with the World Bank's view that explicitly promotes transformational change in the developing country context.…”

Citizens’ adoption of an electronic government system: towards a unified view

“…It is defined as the delivery of government information and services to citizens via the Internet or other digital means (West 2004). eGov services can be broadly categorised as either informational or transactional.…”

Egovernment: Transforming Government Engagement in the European Union

“…The way in which citizens evaluate eGovernment is the factor that will shape how online democracy will shape the future (West, 2004). To adopt eGovernment processes, citizens must have the intention to 'engage in eGovernment', which incorporates the intentions to: receive information, to provide information and to request eGovernment services (Warkentin et al, 2003).…”

“…Given the nature of eGovernment change, it is little surprise that eGovernment has not increased trust or confidence in government. It will take major improvements in government performance in order for the public to transform itself into trusting and non-cynical citizens (West, 2004). However, there is some evidence that more exposure to eGovernment leads to greater confidence in the online public sector.…”