e-Government information systems: Evaluation-led design for public value and client trust
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e-Government information systems: Evaluation-led design for public value and client trust Mike Grimsley1 and Anthony Meehan2 1
Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Science, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, U.K.; 2Department of Computing, Centre for Research in Computing, The Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K. Correspondence: A. Meehan, Department of Computing, Centre for Research in Computing, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, U.K. Tel: þ 44 (0) 1908 659049; E-mail: a.s.meehan @ open.ac.uk
Abstract e-Government systems differ from commercial information systems (IS) in that they frequently encompass strategic goals that go beyond efficiency, effectiveness and economy, and include political and social objectives such as trust in government, social inclusion, community regeneration, community well-being and sustainability. Designing e-Government systems that help to meet these objectives is a significant challenge for the future. This paper develops an evaluative design framework for e-Government projects that complements traditional approaches to IS evaluation. The framework is based upon Moor’s concept of public value. It focuses upon citizens’ and clients’ experiences of service provision and service outcomes as contributors to the formation of public trust. Trust is shown to be related to the extent to which people feel that an e-Government service enhances their sense of being wellinformed, gives them greater personal control, and provides them with a sense of influence or contingency. The framework’s development and validation are founded upon analyses of a two live case studies in south-east England and London, U.K. European Journal of Information Systems (2007) 16, 134–148. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000674 Keywords: e-Government; information systems; evaluation; design; public value; trust
Introduction
Received: 14 September 2006 Revised: 15 November 2006 2nd Revision: 12 February 2007 Accepted: 1 March 2007
The United Kingdom (U.K.) government, in common with many others, is actively promoting on-line access to government and public services through its e-Government initiative. At one level, the goal is economic – efficiencies in public service provision release resources to address other dimensions of citizens’ expectations and preferences, be they revised rates of taxation or new and improved public services (HMT, 2004; CIO, 2005). But there are also prominent socio-political dimensions to many e-Government initiatives. One such dimension is the unifying concern across many U.K. government departments that deployment of e-Government systems be undertaken in ways that promote social inclusion, community development, well-being and sustainability (ODPM, 2004, 2005). A second such dimension relates to identifying and meeting citizens’ expectations of public services and their governance. Beyond personal satisfaction or contentment, citizens attach value to the entitlements of others, for example, in respect of quality of healthcare, threshold standards of education,
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