Evaluating e-Government: Themes, trends, and directions for future research

Abstract

As observed by e-Government scholars, the use of digital technology in the public sector has intensified during the last decade. With digital infrastructures becoming more complex, we argue that it is important to study the evaluation of their use. In this paper, we study the literature on the evaluation of e-Government. With a bibliometric analysis of keywords, combined with a narrative analysis of highly cited papers, we sought to characterize the literature on evaluation and identify themes and trends to propose directions for further research. Our findings reveal seven themes of e-Government evaluation research. Our analysis of highly cited papers disclosed that the literature is characterized by a service-dominant logic, with citizens’ adoption of government services and Web sites being assessed by statistical analysis of surveys. We note the shaky theoretical foundations of e-Government evaluation, a field that has been subject to a plethora of localized models. We conclude that evaluation efforts in e-Government research have been characterized by studies in which digital technology efforts have been judged on narrow grounds, such as ease of use. Based on these findings, we propose a research agenda that includes a shift from evaluation of services to a focus on “big questions”, such as emancipation and democracy. We propose that scholars should undertake more case studies of evaluative practices to form stronger theories with solid empirical foundations.

Best of the best: an investigation of policy enactment for key drivers of digitalization

“…The results show that not only have the benefits associated with digitalization been enacted but also challenges such as demographic changes and decreased tax revenue have been observed. This goal of using technology to "change the status quo" has been included in automation policies (Heidlund and Sundberg, 2021) and health-care contexts (Östlund, 2017). The alignment between the focus of the practitioners' current work and their ranking of the key drivers provides further evidence of enacted priorities in digitalization efforts.…”

“…On a practical level, the utilization of digitalization and digital technologies has long been recognized as crucial in the realm of health and social care for enhancing services and improving overall efficiency. Efficiency is regarded as a potential facilitator, beneficial for addressing the future challenges associated with demographic changes (Heidlund and Sundberg, 2021;Frennert, 2018;Frennert and Östlund, 2018). However, not all digital technologies are expected to yield benefits for health and welfare, as some may find their fundamental principles compromised during the implementation process (Frennert, 2018).…”

“…Recognition of the demographic challenge is evident in multiple policies (e.g. #1, #2, #3) as a driver of the digitalization of health and social care and has been explored in previous literature (Frennert and Östlund, 2018;Heidlund and Sundberg, 2021). Exporting welfare solutions: One key driver is the export of welfare solutions.…”

“…Digitalization is widely regarded as a transformative phenomenon, affecting businesses and wider society (Brennen and Kreiss, 2016). The welfare and health-care sectors, grappling with the challenges posed by an aging population and a diminishing workforce, have increasingly turned to digitalization in response (Heidlund and Sundberg, 2021;Frennert, 2018;Frennert and Östlund, 2018). In this context, the welfare sector has experienced the influence of new public management ideals, prioritizing market-led values (Hasselblad and Sundberg, 2020).…”