E-Government and E-Governance: Bits & Bytes for Public Administration

This chapter identifies how electronic public service delivery has diffused in various public sector organizations in Europe. Three, in practice intertwined, sources of influence are identified: opportunity (the seemingly inevitable and autonomous impact of technologies), inscription of normative structures (the materialization of abstract ideas and rhetoric in specific types of information and communication technologies) and enthusiasms (the sometimes overstated beliefs, held by various stakeholders, that technology is the answer to all kinds of questions). The way these sources of influences work out in practice is demonstrated by discussing the diffusion of a specific type of electronic government, that is personalized electronic service delivery, in ten Dutch municipalities. The chapter is ended with reflections and directions for future research.