“E-lectrifying Government”: Challenges and Opportunities for E-Government Research ICEG08 Key note, 24 October 2008 Professor Miriam Lips Victoria University of Wellington

15 years ‘E-government’ How do we understand ‘E-Government’ today? –E-Government conferences, journals, teaching programmes –Origins of the E-Government concept –Influence of E-Government consultancy firms

15 years ‘E-Government’ - Another international crisis?... Failing E-Govt projects Huge costs involved: “Dangerous Enthusiasms” (Gauld & Goldfinch) News on data breaches in ‘information age govt’ Flaws in E-Govt surveys (Gartner)

15 years ‘E-Government’:..or wrong ambitions? From ‘E-Government’ to ‘T- Government’… …to ‘I-Government’?

15 years ‘E-government’

Pathway to ‘E-Government Maturity’ Four Stage E-Govt Development Model: The Information Stage The Communication Stage The Transaction Stage The Transformation Stage

Next stage ‘E-Government’?

…or ‘e-Government’…

The State of E-Government Research Analysis of scholars in the field: Andersen & Hendriksen Grönlund Heeks & Bailur

Added Value of E-Government Research Acknowledging the interdisciplinary nature of E-Government ICTs as disruptive technologies: they act on information Informational Government is all around us The need for empirical research Moving beyond the surface of benchmarking findings, demonstrating actual change and implications

Added Value of E-Government Research Empirical example 1 Government is changing fundamentally: the case of a smart card in UK local govt

Added Value of E-Government Research Empirical example 2 Government is doing things differently: the case of management in NZ central govt

How did respondents store business e- mails?

How did respondents manage business e- mails?

Added Value of E-Government Research Empirical example 3 Government is doing innovative AND traditional things simultaneously: the case of e-participation in NZ

Enabling Transformation - E- government Strategy (2006) Vision Transforming the way government works for you Milestones By 2007, information and communication technologies will be integral to the delivery of government information, services, and processes. By 2010, the operation of government will be transformed, as government agencies and their partners use technology to provide user-centred information and services and achieve joint outcomes. By 2020, people’s engagement with the government will have been transformed, as increasing and innovative use is made of the opportunities offered by network technologies.

NZ Bioethics Council: online participation Institutional deficit rather than democratic deficit Public dialogue rather than debate Institutional and technological enablement Off-line and on-line participation: –Public framing and deliberation events –Online participation recruitment through ‘trademe’ website –Interactive website: 406 choice books started, 69% completed 64 stories & ideas 3 moderated deliberation groups (58 participants)

Deliberative dialogue Builds on dialogue but purpose is recommendations Structured, rigorous exploration of alternative perspectives and approaches to an issue participants might not have previously considered Work through different choices, and learn from other participants with views that may be different from their own Clarify their thinking on the issue and on what is most important to them Develop more thoughtful and considered opinions Allows a group to identify areas of common ground where it does emerge

Outcomes of deliberation

Participant satisfaction FramingIn-person deliberation On-line deliberation Expectations met 74%71%81% Large majority of participants said they would like to participate in future deliberative processes 50% of online participants joined Council mailing list

‘E-lectrifying Government’: Opportunities for Academia The added value of empirical research, qualitative and quantitative The added value of an interdisciplinary perspective Providing a critical analysis of the introduction, application and use of ICTs in government and its relationships with society Providing independent insights re actual changes in the informational fabrics of govt Providing save places for govt to reflect and experiment re fundamental questions and issues

‘E-lectrifying Government’: Challenges for Academia Close collaboration and engagement with government: e.g. “interaction research” Awareness of the unique context of government (e.g. political sensitivities, press coverage) Organising access to potential research participants Doing applied research with ‘RAE’-valued outcomes Raising a new generation of E-Government researchers