Citizen Relationship Management (CiRM): the past, present, and future of an emerging concept

Abstract

Although Citizen Relationship Management (CiRM) has been adopted worldwide to enhance the relationship between governments and citizens, little is known about the scientific field of CiRM. This article uses a literature review to analyze the scientific field of CiRM to understand its intellectual structure and set a research agenda. We analyzed 24 articles published from 2005 to 2020, revealing that CiRM is an emergent concept in scientific literature, context-dependent, and divided into three categories: the development of integrative models; the relationship between government and citizens; and the evaluation of public services. Research on CiRM is predominantly empirical, lacking the conceptual maturity that enables contributive theoretical and empirical developments. We propose a research agenda addressing the main gaps: adoption, implementation, and efficiency of CiRM strategies, as well as the integration of such strategies in different government levels. This is the first comprehensive review about CiRM, shedding light on the knowledge of CiRM, understanding its past, and the current panorama. We contribute to the development of CiRM knowledge, guiding the researchers’ efforts in the fields of relationship between governments and citizens; CiRM adoption and implementation processes; public managerial practice; and efficiency in public service provision.