Rethinking e-government performance assessment from a citizen perspective

Abstract

The use of information and communication technology (ICT), particularly that related to the consolidation of the internet as a social and business networking medium, has impelled governments towards enabling e-government (e-gov) programs to transform the future of the delivery of public services. E-gov has a clear economic, social, and political impact that should be monitored in order to steer the design of effective public policies. In this article, we argue that evaluating the impact of e-gov entails a complex process of e-gov performance assessment that should take into account the perspective of citizens. Supported by a framework that combines two theoretical views, namely the structurationist view of technology and the social shaping of technology, we propose a model that consolidates nine performance dimensions. This model is the result of empirical work based on an in-depth analysis of interviews with relevant social groups regarding their perceptions of the technological artefacts of e-gov.