A public value perspective for ICT enabled public sector reforms: A theoretical reflection

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical discussion of information system adoption in the public sector (often referred to as e-government) and to contribute to the debate by offering a public value perspective. The paper points to the public value paradigm as an alternative approach to studying ICT-enabled public sector reforms. This paradigm, we argue, proposes an alternative way of framing the nature of the problems faced when ICT enabled public sector reforms are initiated and studied. The public value perspective proposes a new and richer context in which to study and research these phenomena. It also calls for the redefinition of the ways we assess e-government in the context of public sector reforms. It is therefore seen as vital to evaluate the socio-political impact of ICT adoption in the public sector.

E-government and organizational change: Reappraising the role of ICT and bureaucracy in public service delivery

“…Governments' investments in public sector information systems are generally associated with organizational transformations designed to enhance efficiency and policy effectiveness (Fountain 2001;Bellamy and Taylor 1998;Gil-Garcia and Pardo 2005;Gronlund and Horan 2004;Kamarck 2007). In this context ICTs in public sector are deployed to pursue a cluster of ideas and practices that prescribe using private sector and business approaches in the public sector (Hood 1991;Cordella and Iannacci 2010;Cordella and Bonina 2012) to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness and hence reduce bureaucratic burden. This paper challenges the vision of public sector ICTs as solutions mainly designed to reduce the span of public bureaucracy, as often proposed by e-government policies informed by the New Public Management (NPM) ideology.…”

"The Computer Says No!" -- A Case Study on Automated Decision-Making in Public Authorities

“…At the same time, decisions are more complex and integrated; from some people's perspective, smarter decisions are needed [1]. A main argument for the digitalization of administration is increased efficiency and lower costs [2,3]. There are also ambitions to improve impartiality, which is a key value of public decisionmaking, and equality in general through automated decision-making [1,4,5].…”

The Critical Organizational Factors of E-Government in Kenya

“…Globalization has, in the past decade, perpetuated need for inventing and applying technological solutions to service delivery in governments (Cordella & Bonina, 2012). According to the recent UN e-government development index report (EGDI), among the 193 countries surveyed on online provision, 190 had online services.…”

“…In developing countries, the idea that implementation of eGovernment ensures modernization of the public sector, coupled by the current quest for citizenry empowerment and the demand for e-participation changes sweeping the modern world, many governments have continued developing, implementing and improving their strategies to transform government services using eGovernment (Cordella & Bonina, 2012;UN, 2014). However, despite a lot of interest being drawn into eGovernment, the field is criticized for not having a common definition of e-Government (Hu et al 2009) and also generally lacking clarity and rigor about the factors contributing to its implementation alongside poor treatment of generalization (Heeks and Bailur, 2007).…”