Enrico Ferro

Understanding the complexity of electronic government: Implications from the digital divide literature

E-government has been recognized as a catalyst or tool for government administrative reform. Information technologies have the potential to produce cost savings, improve the quality of services, and make government policies more effective. However, some scholars and practitioners contend e-government has not delivered the promise of more efficient, effective, and democratic public administration. In fact, Heeks (2003) estimates that the failure rate of e-government projects may be as high as 85%. We argue that e-government and digital divide research have been relatively disconnected and important intersections exist between the two. These intersections may be useful to explain some of the failures in e-government projects and policies. Theoretically and practically, e-government and digital divide are intertwined and, therefore, a better understanding can be gained if scholars start analyzing them as complementary social phenomena. This paper reviews current literature in e-government and the digital divide and highlights some important similarities and differences. It also suggests preliminary implications for e-government research and practice.

Policy making 2.0: From theory to practice

Abstract Government agencies are gradually moving from simpler towards more sophisticated and complex practices of social media use, which are characterized by important innovations at the technological, political and organizational level. This paper intends to provide two contributions to the current discourse about such advanced approaches to social media exploitation. The first is of practical nature and has to do with assessing the potential and the challenges of a centralized cross-platform approach to social media by government agencies in their policy making processes. The second contribution is of theoretical nature and consists in the development of a multi-dimensional framework for an integrated evaluation of such advanced practices of social media exploitation in public policy making from technological, political and organizational perspectives, drawing from theoretical constructs from different domains. The proposed framework is applied for the evaluation of a pilot consultation campaign conducted in Italy using multiple social media and concerning the large scale application of a telemedicine program.

Can intermunicipal collaboration help the diffusion of E-Government in peripheral areas? Evidence from Italy

Abstract This paper analyzes the implementation of new intermunicipal structures in Italy to support the development of E-Government in the countrys peripheral areas. Our exploratory case study, conducted in the Piedmont Region, shows that intermunicipal collaborations can facilitate the coordination of interdependent subjects, rationalize existing resources (e.g., through the reuse of application software solutions), and prevent the dispersion of federal government funds. Nevertheless, intermunicipal collaborations alone do not seem to have the power needed to ensure that decisions made at the central level will automatically translate into concrete and binding commitments for the municipalities involved. From a methodological standpoint, the article makes use of the analytical frameworks offered by organization science to interpret the effects of collaborative arrangements on E-Government implementation.

When technology meets the mind: a comparative study of the technology acceptance model

Issues related to technology, including diffusion, acceptance, adoption, and adaptation, have been the focus of research for different disciplines including Information Systems (IS), System Dynamics, Psychology, and Management Science. Of all research conducted and models developed to study technology related issues, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) stands out as most prominent, particularly in the field of IS. However, technology acceptance research has been relatively limited in its application to the public sector. Therefore, there is a concurrent need to develop and gain empirical support for models of technology acceptance within the public sector, and to examine technology acceptance and utilization issues among public employees to improve the success of IS implementation in this arena. In this paper we present a more comprehensive, yet parsimonious model of technology acceptance and suggest testing it both in public and private sectors to help understand the similarities and differences (if any) between the two sectors.

Does the Answer to eGovernment Lie in Intermunicipal Collaboration? An Exploratory Italian Case Study

The paper analyses Italys recent attempt to build new intermunicipal structures to support eGovernment development also in peripheral areas of the country. Preliminary findings for an individual region (the Piedmont Region) show that intermunicipal collaborations can facilitate the coordination of interdependent subjects, rationalize existing resources (e.g. through the use of application software solutions), and prevent the dispersal of government funds. At the same time, the new intermunicipal structures alone do not seem to have the authority needed to ensure that the decisions made by the technical round table participants will automatically translate into a concrete and binding commitment for all the municipalities potentially involved. The paper seeks to use the analytical frameworks offered by organization science to interpret the effects of collaborative arrangements on eGovernment implementation.

Is it only about internet access? an empirical test of a multi-dimensional digital divide

Scholars from different disciplines have recently studied a phenomenon called “the digital divide”. Since many of the new government information technology initiatives are based on Internet technologies and require the use of the Internet by citizens, understanding the digital divide (and consequently, the potential demand) is important for e-government scholars. For some researchers, the divide is not a problem and Internet access is the only relevant determinant of Internet use (access divide). For other researchers, the divide is rooted in more fundamental social differences and opportunities (multi-dimensional divide). Using data from the Piedmont region in Italy, this paper tests these two competing views of the digital divide. Overall, the models based on a multi-dimensional view have greater explanatory power and provide evidence about the relevance of multiple factors affecting both Internet access and Internet use. For instance, females use the Internet for a smaller number of activities than males. Individuals with more formal education and who can speak English use the Internet more. Finally, individuals with more experience using a PC and the Internet itself also use the Internet to perform a broader range of activities.

The digital divide metaphor: understanding paths to IT literacy

Not having access or having a disadvantaged access to information, in an information-based society may be considered as a handicap [5]. In the last two decades scholars have gradually refined the conceptualization of digital divide, moving from a dichotomous model mainly based on access to a multidimensional model accounting for differences in usage levels and perspectives. While models became more complex, research continued to mainly focus on deepening the understanding of demographic and socioeconomic differences between adopters and non-adopters. In doing so, the process of basic IT skills acquisition has been largely overlooked. This paper presents a metaphorical interpretation of the process of IT skills acquisition derived from empirical evidence. The analysis highlights the presence of three distinct IT skills acquisition approaches, as well as the key role of self-learning. These preliminary results represent a useful starting point for the design of more effective and sophisticated inclusion policies.

“Urban versus regional divide: comparing and classifying digital divide”

This paper presents a comparative study on digital divide between a region and its main metropolitan area. The exercise shows how barriers to technology access and usage may vary in terms of both nature and intensity. The paper also proposes a taxonomy of the different types of digital divides that may be present inside a region.

Assessing emerging ICT-enabled governance models in European cities: results from a mapping survey

The paper presents the preliminary results of an exploratory survey conducted by the Information Society Unit of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) of the European Commission. The main goal of the research is to deepen the understanding of the interplay between ICTs and governance processes at city level in the EU by looking at what new ICT-enabled governance models are emerging in European cities and what are their key socio-economic implications. In this preliminary phase efforts have been directed towards addressing the following research question: what key city governance policy areas ICTs impact most and what governance changes are driven by ICTs? This questions have been investigated through a questionnaire based online survey. The evidence collected provided a comprehensive mapping of the use of ICTs in European cities as well as the views of policy makers, city government officials, practitioners and researchers, on the way ICTs are influencing governance processes. The evidence collected shows that new ICT-enabled governance models are emerging, and it allowed to identify the main dimensions of change, drivers, barriers, enablers and characteristics, as well as opportunities, risks and challenges associated with them.

ROI analysis in e-government assessment trials: the case of sistema piemonte

Assessing the returns of public investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) poses important practical and research challenges. Scholars and practitioners that have embarked in ICT assessment activities have encountered many difficulties which, to a large extent, have remained pending issues. This paper reviews the exiting literature on public return on investment (ROI) and presents an assessment conducted on an Italian circuit of eGovernment services. The paper intends to share the experience gained from our study with the rest of research community. Also, it proposes a perspective on public ROI that differs from a strictly bottom line approach to stimulate a debate on the role of such evaluation activities in the process of eGovernment implementation.