G2C e-government: modernisation or transformation? Online publication date: Sat, 27-Jan-2007
by Ailsa Kolsaker, Liz Lee-Kelley
Electronic Government, an International Journal (EG), Vol. 4, No. 1, 2007
Abstract: Governments are investing heavily in e-government as a means of promoting 'the knowledge society'. A discourse of technology-enabled transformation is prevalent in Western culture, yet drawing upon the UK experience this article proposes that ambitions may exceed ability to deliver. We identify numerous barriers to transforming government through the web, such as problems with providing more than rudimentary functionality; requirements for identify verification which necessitate mixed-channel correspondence; challenges of assuring confidentiality; citizens' preference for engaging with human beings; and habitual behaviours which quite simply favour offline alternatives. We suggest that the UK government is raising expectations by moving beyond a modernisation agenda to a 'transformational government plan' before e-services have reached an adequate level of sophistication. We perceive a gap between vision and delivery and suggest that the immediate emphasis should shift to improving existing online services before embarking on transformational government.
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