JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government

Editorial 14(2)

2022-12-22T05:31:25-08:00

Research Trends in E-Government Interoperability: Mapping Themes and Concepts Based on The Scopus Database

2022-08-25T00:24:53-07:00

Advances in information and communication technology, in the provision of public services, have affected all aspects of electronic governance. This widespread use has resulted in vast amounts of data, which governments and other entities can collect and analyse to measure, assess and improve service interoperability. Interoperability is the ability of software to collaborate. Currently, studies on the interoperability of e-government applications are the focus of research by previous researchers to develop information and communication technology to realize the smooth exchange of information in all elements of government. This study aims to determine the development of research on interoperability in e-government by conducting an in-depth analysis of research trends and dominant themes in e-government interoperability. This research is a systematic review using VosViewer and Nvivo Qualitative Software Analysis, and both are used to uncover trending issues and research themes on e-government interoperability. This research data was obtained through the Scopus database using a search strategy to find relevant documents. The results show that research trends related to e-government interoperability issues have declined recently. In addition, this study also presents the highest citations, funding sponsors, and research connectivity between countries. Furthermore, this study also produces six dominant themes related to e-government interoperability, namely Interoperability, E-government, Systems, Technology, Data, and Services. Some of the findings produced in this study are expected to provide a comprehensive picture of research trends in e-government interoperability for researchers in the future.

Towards a Positioning Model for Evaluating the Use and Design of Anti-Disinformation Tools

2022-08-30T07:58:24-07:00

With the increasing amounts of mis- and disinformation circulating online, the demand for tools to combat and contain the phenomenon has also increased. The multifaceted nature of the phenomenon requires a set of tools that can respond effectively, and can deal with the different ways in which disinformation can present itself, In this paper, after consulting independent fact-checkers to create a list, we map the landscape of tools available to combat different typologies of mis and disinformation on the basis of three levels of analysis: the employment of policy-regulated strategies, the use of co-creation, and the preference for manual or automated processes of detection. We then create a model in which we position the different tools across three axes of analysis, and show how the tools distribute across different market positions.

Why Do Innovations Fail? Lessons Learned from a Digital Democratic Innovation

2022-08-25T01:15:15-07:00

Democratic innovations are brought forward by political scientists as a response to worrying democratic deficits. This paper aims to evaluate the design, process, and outcome of digital democratic innovations. We study a mobile application for following local politics. Data is collected using three online surveys with different groups, and a workshop with young citizens. The results show that the app did not fully meet the democratic ideal of inclusiveness at the process stage, especially in reaching young people. However, the user groups that had used the app reported positive democratic effects.

To Be or Not to Be ‘Rousseauian’. The Rise and Fall of ‘Digital Utopianism’ in the Five Star Movement

2022-03-17T01:52:38-07:00

A growing dissatisfaction with the political class has emerged in Italy. Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the original strategy adopted by the Five Star Movement (FSM) was to connect citizens and institutions directly, thanks to ICTs. A participation platform called “Rousseau” was created to this end in 2016. However, after the Movement’s great success in the 2018 national elections, digital utopianism was gradually abandoned. In 2021, the statute was reformed, creating new roles and organs making the FSM more akin to a traditional party, and the ‘Rousseau’ platform was replaced by another one with limited functions. This evolution leads to three theses: first, the reference to Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a mainly symbolic value for FSM; second, as recent facts show, this ideal reference weakened with the action of governing and the ‘normalisation’ of the party; third, this evolution confirms that the Rousseauian ideal is difficult to realise in a complex society.

Factors Influencing the Citizens’ Satisfaction Towards the Use of Open Government Data: A Systematic Literature Review

2022-08-17T02:44:19-07:00

Open Government Data (OGD) is considered instrumental to promote transparency and accountability for economic and civic development that increases citizens' participation in government digital initiatives. This study employed a qualitative research design and emphasized the factors that affect the citizens' satisfaction with the use of OGD. It systematically reviewed the literature published in the field of OGD. Findings identified that ease of use, usefulness, access, extrinsic motivation, individual differences, computer skills, and training affect the citizen’ use of OGD. It found models, theoretical frameworks, and theories, which have been applied, developed, or tested in the literature about citizen satisfaction with OGD. It highlighted implications for policymakers to increase the quality of OGD portals. It may be helpful at the government level in the identification of factors that affects citizens’ satisfaction with the use of OGD. It may also contribute to enhancing citizens’ skills and awareness of OGD portals’ use.

A Review of E-Government Assessment Frameworks: E-Readiness, Adoption, Citizen Engagement and Quality

2022-06-30T02:09:12-07:00

The rapid development of digitalization has impelled countries to adopt electronic government (e-government) to improve quality and efficiency, reduce costs and establish transparency in their transactions with the citizens, thereby, strengthening the government-citizens relationship. As e-government has become pivotal for development, it is essential to understand various frameworks available in the literature for evaluating a country’s e-government at different phases, from e-readiness to the realization of end benefits. Hence, this paper briefly reviews the e-government literature focusing on e-readiness, adoption, citizen engagement and performance and quality assessment frameworks. Further, a thematic analysis of the selected studies is carried out using NVivo and QDA Miner to map the main themes and subthemes and the associations among the selected studies. This paper contributes to the e-government literature with clear academic insights into different variables and dimensions in association with the evaluation of e-government and by setting a future research agenda for developing a holistic evaluation framework.

Data Processing and Maintenance in Different Jurisdictions When Using a SaaS Solution in a Public Sector Organisation

2022-07-05T22:35:36-07:00

Many public sector organisations (PSO) use SaaS solutions from dominant global providers. Implementation of these solutions may raise issues concerning both lawful data processing, and the obligations that those PSOs have to maintain their digital assets. One example is a large Swedish PSO which addressed these issues as part of the adoption and implementation of Microsoft 365. The study identifies challenges and presents an analysis of the organisational implementation of that SaaS solution, exposing legal issues that arose in that context. Findings show an absence of a documented risk analysis related to the PSO's use of that SaaS solution, covering data processing and maintenance of its digital assets. Recommendations are presented to facilitate a PSO's procurement and implementation of such a SaaS solution to address issues around data processing and the processing of digital assets.

Beyond Substantive Goals: A Framework for Understanding Citizens’ Needs and Goals in Bureaucratic Encounters

2022-09-26T00:56:27-07:00

This paper contributes to e-government research by presenting a conceptual framework of citizens’ needs and goals, with regards to bureaucratic encounters and applying this framework to empirical data. The framework identifies four needs (process security, relational security, discretion, and efficiency/effectiveness) and three goals (substantive outcome, identity-related outcome, and justice- and fairness-related outcome). These needs and goals guide citizens’ approach to bureaucratic encounters. The degree to which they are met may impact the efficiency of service delivery, as well as citizens’ satisfaction with the authorities involved. The framework may be used to analyse citizens’ strategies for bureaucratic encounters and their use of self-service systems, as well as to assess self-service systems, multi-channel strategies, and service designs to determine how they serve citizens’ needs and goals.

Stakeholder Views of Process Automation as an Enabler of Prioritized Value Ideals in a Swedish Municipality

2022-08-25T01:07:54-07:00

Municipalities in Sweden are recommended to pursue process automation to face upcoming societal challenges. This paper focuses on a case where these recommendations are operationalized. Views on process automation held by different stakeholders, in relation to value ideals they prioritize in their respective areas of work, are explored by combining stakeholder theory and a model of public value ideals. Our findings show that, different stakeholder groups prioritize different values and that their views on process automation as an enabler of these value ideals are either optimistic, undecided, or pessimistic, where the latter two can be considered obstacles. This paper contributes, with an empirical illustration of how process automation is operationalized, answering previous calls for more research on this topic. We also elaborate on the use of stakeholder theory and public value as an analytical lens, contributing to the growing body of research attempting to understand process automation.

A Translation Service for Open Data Portals

2022-10-03T01:15:31-07:00

There exists a huge variety of Open Data portals, some of them providing just a handful, and others tens of thousands of datasets. The datasets they provide are expected to be supplied with metadata describing them. However, this metadata is typically available in one or two languages only, and, if translations exist, they are usually added manually. To build an inclusive data infrastructure, metadata should be available in as many languages as possible. The paper presents an approach for automatic translation of metadata within Open Data portals, based on Semantic Web technologies and using the metadata standard DCAT-AP. Based on this approach, new functionalities are possible, such as enabling users to search for datasets in their native language. The approach was implemented for and tested within a practical application in a production environment.