E-Government: From service technologies to a new management paradigm

Abstract

The article analyzes conceptual approaches to the development of e-government. The factors that contribute to its successful development are identified. Two examples (Estonia and Germany) show the influence of a different combination of these factors. The successful development of e-government requires a combination of a number of various factors, including characteristics of political institutions, political actors, and political culture. The development of e-government entails changes in these aspects of political life and, more broadly, changes in the nature of public administration and participation. In turn, the specifics and pace of these changes also depend on the unique combination of factors. The authors show that significant economic resources and strategic planning at the state level are not sufficient explanatory factors for the successful development of e-government. Important circumstances may include the relatively small size of the state, the perspective vision of political actors, the coincidence of the interests of public and private structures, readiness to reform the management system, the creation of conditions for institutional cooperation, and coordination of interested actors. The authors conclude that prospects for further research in the field of e-government development are related to the study of unique national sets of factors that explain features of e-government models and their evolution.