Title: Citizen-centric e-government: a critique of the UK Model

Authors: Ailsa Kolsaker, Liz Lee-Kelley

Addresses: School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK. ' School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK

Abstract: Citizen-centricity is an antecedent of successful e-government. Whilst most nations recognise this, the majority aim to combine citizen-centricity with cost-effectiveness. The UK has adopted a techno-centric model which in our analysis fails to engage citizens as anticipated, underplays the importance of Knowledge Management (KM) and clashes with the traditional values of public service. We examine the consequences of the overtly rationalist approach and suggest that truly citizen-centric e-government may entail a fundamental rethink of how the knowledge base of e-government is constructed and exploited.

Keywords: e-government; electronic government; knowledge management; KM; new public management; NPM; citizen-centricity; UK; United Kingdom; techno-centric model; public service values.

DOI: 10.1504/EG.2006.009214

Electronic Government, an International Journal, 2006 Vol.3 No.2, pp.127 - 138

Published online: 10 Mar 2006 *

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