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How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government
Journal
Information Polity
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Abstract (De)
Smart information and communication technologies (ICTs) are finding their ways into public administration, and numerous smart government efforts are marking the start of a new digitalization wave in the public sector. Despite being in the early stages of development, these initiatives promise a new model for the provision of public services: smart government. Because past technical innovations in the public sector did not reach their full potential, it is crucial to know the difficulties if one is to successfully address them. We explore the perceived barriers to the adoption of smart government in an early phase of implementation. We analyzed barriers, utilizing 32 interviews with actors involved in smart government initiatives. Cluster analysis helped us to identify six barrier groups: a lack of legitimacy, a lack of legal foundations, a lack of policy coherence, a lack of technical infrastructure, cost-benefit considerations, and a lack of innovation capacity. We distinguish between organizational and institutional barriers, and discuss restrictions and implications for praxis and future research.
Project(s)
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
IOS Press
Volume
2019
Number
24
Start page
3
End page
20
Contact Email Address
aliasker.guenduez@unisg.ch
References
Albesher, A. S., & Stone, R. T. (2016). Current state of m-government research: identifying future research opportunities.
International Journal of Electronic Governance, 8(2), 119-139.
Anthopoulos, L., Reddick, C. G., Giannakidou, I., & Mavridis, N. (2016). Why e-government projects fail? An analysis of the
Healthcare.gov website. Government Information Quarterly, 33(1), 161-173.
Backhaus, K., Erichson, B., Plinke, W., & Weiber, R. (2011). Multivariate Analysemethoden. Eine anwendungsorientierte
Einfführung [Multivariate analysis methods. An application-oriented introduction]. Heidelberg: Springer.
Becker, S. A. (2004). E-government visual accessibility for older adult users. Social Science Computer Review, 22(1), 11-23.
Bhatti, Z. K., Kusek, J. Z., & Verheijen, T. (2015). Logged on: Smart government solutions from South Asia. Washington, DC,
World Bank.
Blasius, J., & Baur, N. (2014) Multivariate Datenanalyse [Multivariate data analysis]. In: Baur N., Blasius J. (eds) Handbuch
Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung [Handbook Methods of Empirical Social Research]. Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
Blasius, J. (1994). Empirische Lebensstilforschung [Empirical Lifestyle Research]. In J. S. u. B. Dangschat, Jörg (Ed.),
Lebensstile in den Städten. Konzepte und Methoden [Lifestyles in the cities. Concepts and methods]. Opladen: Leske +
Buldrich.
Borins, S. (2000). Loose cannons and rule breakers, or enterprising leaders? Some evidence about innovative public managers.
Public Administration Review, 60(6), 498-507.
Bright, J., & Margetts, H. (2016). Big Data and Public Policy: Can It Succeed Where E-Participation Has Failed? Policy and
Internet, 8(3), 218-224.
Buess, M., Iselin, M., & Bieri, O. (2017). Nationale E-Government Studie 2017. E-Government in der Schweiz aus Sicht der
Bevölkerung, der Unternehmen und der Verwaltung. (National e-government study 2017: e-government in Switzerland
from the perspective of the population, companies and administration.
Chen, Y. C., & Gant, J. (2001). Transforming local e-government services: the use of application service providers. Government
Information Quarterly, 18(4), 343-355.
Chun, S. A., Shulman, S., Sandoval, R., & Hovy, E. (2010). Government 2.0: Making connections between citizens, data and
government. Information Polity, 15(1/2), 1-9.
Coe, A., Paquet, G., & Roy, J. (2001). E-governance and smart communities - A social learning challenge. Social Science
Computer Review, 19(1), 80-93.
Conradie, P., & Choenni, S. (2014). On the barriers for local government releasing open data. Government Information Quarterly,
31, S10-S17.
Cordella, A., & Iannacci, F. (2010). Information systems in the public sector: The e-Government enactment framework. Journal
of Strategic Information Systems, 19(1), 52-66.
De Vries, H., Bekkers, V., & Tummers, L. (2016). Innovation in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research
Agenda. Public Administration, 94(1), 146-166.
Ek, Å, Runefors, M., & Borell, J. (2014). Relationships between safety culture aspects – A work process to enable interpretation.
Marine Policy, 44, 179-186.
Fountain, J. E. (2001). Building the Virtual State. Information Technology and Institutional Change. Washinton: Brooking
Institution Press.
Gascó, M. (2015). Special Issue on Open Government: An Introduction. Social Science Computer Review, 33(5), 535-539.
Gascó-Hernandez, M. (2018). Building a Smart City: Lessons from Barcelona. Communications of the Acm, 61(4), 50-57.
Gil-Garcia, J. R. (2012). Towards a smart state? Inter-agency collaboration, information integration, and beyond. Information
Polity, 17(1), 269-280.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., Helbig, N., & Ojo, A. (2014). Being smart: Emerging technologies and innovation in the public sector.
Government Information Quarterly, 31), 11-18.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., & Pardo, T. A. (2005). E-government success factors: Mapping practical tools to theoretical foundations.
Government Information Quarterly, 22(2), 187-216.
Gilbert, D., Balestrini, P., & Littleboy, D. (2004). Barriers and benefits in the adoption of e-government. International Journal
of Public Sector Management, 17(4), 286-301.
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and
focus groups. British Dental Journal, 204(6), 291-295.
Ginsberg, A., & Venkatraman, N. (1992). Investing in New Information Technology – The Role of Competitive Posture and
Issue Diagnosis. Strategic Management Journal, 13), 37-53.
Guenduez, A. A., Mettler, T., & Schedler, K. (in press). Beyond Smart and Connected Governments: Sensors and the Internet
of Things in the Public Sector. In: J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, Theresa A. Pardo & Mila Gascó Ramon (eds.), Beyond Smart and
Connected Governments: Sensors and the Internet of Things in the Public Sector. Springer.
Guenduez, A. A., Mettler, T., & Schedler, K. (2017). Smart Government – Partizipation und Empowerment der Bürger im
Zeitalter von Big Data und personalisierter Algorithmen. [Smart Government – Participation and empowerment of citizens
18 K. Schedler et al. / How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government
in the era of big data and personalized algorithms] HMD.
Harsh, A., & Ichalkaranje, N. (2015). Transforming e-Government to Smart Government: A South Australian Perspective. In
L. C. Jain, S. Patnaik, & N. Ichalkaranje (Eds.), Intelligent Computing, Communication and Devices: Proceedings of ICCD
2014, Volume 1 (pp. 9-16). New Delhi: Springer India.
Hoffmann-Riem, W. (2017). Verhaltenssteuerung durch Algorithmen – Eine Herausforderung für das Recht [Behavioural control
through algorithms – A challenge for the law]. Archiv des öffentlichen Rechts, 142, 1-42.
Hult, G. T. M., Hurley, R. F., & Knight, G. A. (2004). Innovativeness: Its antecedents and impact on business performance.
Industrial Marketing Management, 33(5), 429-438.
Janssen, M., Charalabidis, Y., & Zuiderwijk, A. (2012). Benefits, Adoption Barriers and Myths of Open Data and Open Government.
Information Systems Management,, 29(4), 258-268.
Jimenez, C. E., Solanas, A., & Falcone, F. (2014). E-Government Interoperability: Linking Open and Smart Government.
Computer, 47(10), 22-24.
Kim, S. (2009). A case study of local e-government performance in South Korea: Do leadership and management for results
matter? International Public Management Review, 10(1), 170-198.
Kliksberg, B. (2000). Rebuilding the state for social development: towards ‘smart government’. International Review of Administrative
Sciences, 66, 241-257.
Kornberger, M., Meyer, R., Brandtner, C., & Höllerer, M. A. (2017). When bureaucracy meets the crowd: Studying ’open
government’ in the Vienna City Administration. Organization Studies, 38(2), 179-200.
Lawson, G. (1998). NetState: Creating electronic government. London: Demos.
Linder,W. (2010). Swiss Democracy: Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies (3rd Edition), New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Linders, D., Liao, Z.-P. C., & Wang, C.-M. (2015). Proactive e-Governance: Flipping the service delivery model from pull to
push in Taiwan. Government Information Quarterly, 1-9.
Luna-Reyes, L. F., & Gil-Garcia, J. R. (2014). Digital government transformation and internet portals: The co-evolution of
technology, organizations, and institutions. Government Information Quarterly, 31(4), 545-555.
Mellouli, S., Luna-Reyes, L. F., & Zhang, J. (2014). Smart Government, Citizen Participation and Open Data. Information
Polity, 19(1), 1-4.
Mergel, I. (2016). Agile innovation management in government: A research agenda. Government Information Quarterly, 33(3),
516-523.
Mergel, I. (2018). Open innovation in the public sector: drivers and barriers for the adoption of Challenge.gov. Public Management
Review, 20(5), 726-745.
Mergel, I., Rethemeyer, R. K., & Isett, K. (2016). Big data in public affairs. Public Administration Review, 76(6), 928-937.
Mettler, T. (2018). The Road to Digital and Smart Government in Switzerland. In A. Ladner, N. Soguel, Y. Emery, S.Weerts, &
S. Nahrath (Eds.), Swiss Public Administration : Making the State Work Successfully (pp. 175-186): Springer International
Publishing.
Mooi, E., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). Cluster Analysis. In E. Mooi & M. Sarstedt (Eds.), A concise guide to market research. Berlin
Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
Moon, M. J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: Rhetoric or reality? Public Administration Review,
62(4), 424-433.
Pervaiz, K. A. (1998). Culture and climate for innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 1(1), 30-43.
Rochet, C., & Correa, J. D. P. (2016). Urban Lifecycle Management: A Research Program for Smart Government of Smart
Cities. Revista de Gestão e Secretariado, 7(2), 1-20.
Savoldelli, A., Codagnone, C., & Misuraca, G. (2014). Understanding the e-government paradox: Learning from literature and
practice on barriers to adoption. Government Information Quarterly, 31, S63-S71.
Schedler, K. (2018). Von Electronic Government und Smart GovernmentMehr als elektrifizieren! [About Electronic Government
and Smart Government. More than just electrify!]. IMPuls, 1(1).
Schedler, K., & Schmidt, B. (2004). Managing the e-government organization. International Public Management Review, 5(1),
1-20.
Scholl, H. J., & Scholl, M. C. (2014). Smart Governance: A Roadmap for Research and Practice. Paper presented at the
iConference 2014 Proceedings.
Schwester, R. (2009). Examining the barriers to e-government adoption. Electronic Journal of e-Government, 7(1), 113-122.
Thomas, J. B., Clark, S. M., & Gioia, D. A. (1993). Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance – linkages among
scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 36(2), 239-270.
United Nations, & ASPA, (2002). Benchmarking e-government: A global perspective. New York, NY: U.N. Publications.
van Zoonen, L. (2016). Privacy concerns in smart cities. Government Information Quarterly, 33(3), 472-480.
Wing, L. (2005). Barriers to e-government integration. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 18(5), 511-530.
Yeh, H. (2017). The effects of successful ICT-based smart city services: From citizens’ perspectives. Government Information
Quarterly, 34(3), 556-565.
K. Schedler et al. / How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government 19
Zakareya, E., & Zahir, I. (2005). E-government adoption: architecture and barriers. Business Process Management Journal,
11(5), 589-611.
Zilber, T. B. (2006). The work of the symbolic in institutional processes: Translations of rational myths in Israeli high tech.
Academy of Management Journal, 49(2), 281-303.
International Journal of Electronic Governance, 8(2), 119-139.
Anthopoulos, L., Reddick, C. G., Giannakidou, I., & Mavridis, N. (2016). Why e-government projects fail? An analysis of the
Healthcare.gov website. Government Information Quarterly, 33(1), 161-173.
Backhaus, K., Erichson, B., Plinke, W., & Weiber, R. (2011). Multivariate Analysemethoden. Eine anwendungsorientierte
Einfführung [Multivariate analysis methods. An application-oriented introduction]. Heidelberg: Springer.
Becker, S. A. (2004). E-government visual accessibility for older adult users. Social Science Computer Review, 22(1), 11-23.
Bhatti, Z. K., Kusek, J. Z., & Verheijen, T. (2015). Logged on: Smart government solutions from South Asia. Washington, DC,
World Bank.
Blasius, J., & Baur, N. (2014) Multivariate Datenanalyse [Multivariate data analysis]. In: Baur N., Blasius J. (eds) Handbuch
Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung [Handbook Methods of Empirical Social Research]. Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
Blasius, J. (1994). Empirische Lebensstilforschung [Empirical Lifestyle Research]. In J. S. u. B. Dangschat, Jörg (Ed.),
Lebensstile in den Städten. Konzepte und Methoden [Lifestyles in the cities. Concepts and methods]. Opladen: Leske +
Buldrich.
Borins, S. (2000). Loose cannons and rule breakers, or enterprising leaders? Some evidence about innovative public managers.
Public Administration Review, 60(6), 498-507.
Bright, J., & Margetts, H. (2016). Big Data and Public Policy: Can It Succeed Where E-Participation Has Failed? Policy and
Internet, 8(3), 218-224.
Buess, M., Iselin, M., & Bieri, O. (2017). Nationale E-Government Studie 2017. E-Government in der Schweiz aus Sicht der
Bevölkerung, der Unternehmen und der Verwaltung. (National e-government study 2017: e-government in Switzerland
from the perspective of the population, companies and administration.
Chen, Y. C., & Gant, J. (2001). Transforming local e-government services: the use of application service providers. Government
Information Quarterly, 18(4), 343-355.
Chun, S. A., Shulman, S., Sandoval, R., & Hovy, E. (2010). Government 2.0: Making connections between citizens, data and
government. Information Polity, 15(1/2), 1-9.
Coe, A., Paquet, G., & Roy, J. (2001). E-governance and smart communities - A social learning challenge. Social Science
Computer Review, 19(1), 80-93.
Conradie, P., & Choenni, S. (2014). On the barriers for local government releasing open data. Government Information Quarterly,
31, S10-S17.
Cordella, A., & Iannacci, F. (2010). Information systems in the public sector: The e-Government enactment framework. Journal
of Strategic Information Systems, 19(1), 52-66.
De Vries, H., Bekkers, V., & Tummers, L. (2016). Innovation in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research
Agenda. Public Administration, 94(1), 146-166.
Ek, Å, Runefors, M., & Borell, J. (2014). Relationships between safety culture aspects – A work process to enable interpretation.
Marine Policy, 44, 179-186.
Fountain, J. E. (2001). Building the Virtual State. Information Technology and Institutional Change. Washinton: Brooking
Institution Press.
Gascó, M. (2015). Special Issue on Open Government: An Introduction. Social Science Computer Review, 33(5), 535-539.
Gascó-Hernandez, M. (2018). Building a Smart City: Lessons from Barcelona. Communications of the Acm, 61(4), 50-57.
Gil-Garcia, J. R. (2012). Towards a smart state? Inter-agency collaboration, information integration, and beyond. Information
Polity, 17(1), 269-280.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., Helbig, N., & Ojo, A. (2014). Being smart: Emerging technologies and innovation in the public sector.
Government Information Quarterly, 31), 11-18.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., & Pardo, T. A. (2005). E-government success factors: Mapping practical tools to theoretical foundations.
Government Information Quarterly, 22(2), 187-216.
Gilbert, D., Balestrini, P., & Littleboy, D. (2004). Barriers and benefits in the adoption of e-government. International Journal
of Public Sector Management, 17(4), 286-301.
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and
focus groups. British Dental Journal, 204(6), 291-295.
Ginsberg, A., & Venkatraman, N. (1992). Investing in New Information Technology – The Role of Competitive Posture and
Issue Diagnosis. Strategic Management Journal, 13), 37-53.
Guenduez, A. A., Mettler, T., & Schedler, K. (in press). Beyond Smart and Connected Governments: Sensors and the Internet
of Things in the Public Sector. In: J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, Theresa A. Pardo & Mila Gascó Ramon (eds.), Beyond Smart and
Connected Governments: Sensors and the Internet of Things in the Public Sector. Springer.
Guenduez, A. A., Mettler, T., & Schedler, K. (2017). Smart Government – Partizipation und Empowerment der Bürger im
Zeitalter von Big Data und personalisierter Algorithmen. [Smart Government – Participation and empowerment of citizens
18 K. Schedler et al. / How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government
in the era of big data and personalized algorithms] HMD.
Harsh, A., & Ichalkaranje, N. (2015). Transforming e-Government to Smart Government: A South Australian Perspective. In
L. C. Jain, S. Patnaik, & N. Ichalkaranje (Eds.), Intelligent Computing, Communication and Devices: Proceedings of ICCD
2014, Volume 1 (pp. 9-16). New Delhi: Springer India.
Hoffmann-Riem, W. (2017). Verhaltenssteuerung durch Algorithmen – Eine Herausforderung für das Recht [Behavioural control
through algorithms – A challenge for the law]. Archiv des öffentlichen Rechts, 142, 1-42.
Hult, G. T. M., Hurley, R. F., & Knight, G. A. (2004). Innovativeness: Its antecedents and impact on business performance.
Industrial Marketing Management, 33(5), 429-438.
Janssen, M., Charalabidis, Y., & Zuiderwijk, A. (2012). Benefits, Adoption Barriers and Myths of Open Data and Open Government.
Information Systems Management,, 29(4), 258-268.
Jimenez, C. E., Solanas, A., & Falcone, F. (2014). E-Government Interoperability: Linking Open and Smart Government.
Computer, 47(10), 22-24.
Kim, S. (2009). A case study of local e-government performance in South Korea: Do leadership and management for results
matter? International Public Management Review, 10(1), 170-198.
Kliksberg, B. (2000). Rebuilding the state for social development: towards ‘smart government’. International Review of Administrative
Sciences, 66, 241-257.
Kornberger, M., Meyer, R., Brandtner, C., & Höllerer, M. A. (2017). When bureaucracy meets the crowd: Studying ’open
government’ in the Vienna City Administration. Organization Studies, 38(2), 179-200.
Lawson, G. (1998). NetState: Creating electronic government. London: Demos.
Linder,W. (2010). Swiss Democracy: Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies (3rd Edition), New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Linders, D., Liao, Z.-P. C., & Wang, C.-M. (2015). Proactive e-Governance: Flipping the service delivery model from pull to
push in Taiwan. Government Information Quarterly, 1-9.
Luna-Reyes, L. F., & Gil-Garcia, J. R. (2014). Digital government transformation and internet portals: The co-evolution of
technology, organizations, and institutions. Government Information Quarterly, 31(4), 545-555.
Mellouli, S., Luna-Reyes, L. F., & Zhang, J. (2014). Smart Government, Citizen Participation and Open Data. Information
Polity, 19(1), 1-4.
Mergel, I. (2016). Agile innovation management in government: A research agenda. Government Information Quarterly, 33(3),
516-523.
Mergel, I. (2018). Open innovation in the public sector: drivers and barriers for the adoption of Challenge.gov. Public Management
Review, 20(5), 726-745.
Mergel, I., Rethemeyer, R. K., & Isett, K. (2016). Big data in public affairs. Public Administration Review, 76(6), 928-937.
Mettler, T. (2018). The Road to Digital and Smart Government in Switzerland. In A. Ladner, N. Soguel, Y. Emery, S.Weerts, &
S. Nahrath (Eds.), Swiss Public Administration : Making the State Work Successfully (pp. 175-186): Springer International
Publishing.
Mooi, E., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). Cluster Analysis. In E. Mooi & M. Sarstedt (Eds.), A concise guide to market research. Berlin
Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
Moon, M. J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: Rhetoric or reality? Public Administration Review,
62(4), 424-433.
Pervaiz, K. A. (1998). Culture and climate for innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 1(1), 30-43.
Rochet, C., & Correa, J. D. P. (2016). Urban Lifecycle Management: A Research Program for Smart Government of Smart
Cities. Revista de Gestão e Secretariado, 7(2), 1-20.
Savoldelli, A., Codagnone, C., & Misuraca, G. (2014). Understanding the e-government paradox: Learning from literature and
practice on barriers to adoption. Government Information Quarterly, 31, S63-S71.
Schedler, K. (2018). Von Electronic Government und Smart GovernmentMehr als elektrifizieren! [About Electronic Government
and Smart Government. More than just electrify!]. IMPuls, 1(1).
Schedler, K., & Schmidt, B. (2004). Managing the e-government organization. International Public Management Review, 5(1),
1-20.
Scholl, H. J., & Scholl, M. C. (2014). Smart Governance: A Roadmap for Research and Practice. Paper presented at the
iConference 2014 Proceedings.
Schwester, R. (2009). Examining the barriers to e-government adoption. Electronic Journal of e-Government, 7(1), 113-122.
Thomas, J. B., Clark, S. M., & Gioia, D. A. (1993). Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance – linkages among
scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 36(2), 239-270.
United Nations, & ASPA, (2002). Benchmarking e-government: A global perspective. New York, NY: U.N. Publications.
van Zoonen, L. (2016). Privacy concerns in smart cities. Government Information Quarterly, 33(3), 472-480.
Wing, L. (2005). Barriers to e-government integration. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 18(5), 511-530.
Yeh, H. (2017). The effects of successful ICT-based smart city services: From citizens’ perspectives. Government Information
Quarterly, 34(3), 556-565.
K. Schedler et al. / How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government 19
Zakareya, E., & Zahir, I. (2005). E-government adoption: architecture and barriers. Business Process Management Journal,
11(5), 589-611.
Zilber, T. B. (2006). The work of the symbolic in institutional processes: Translations of rational myths in Israeli high tech.
Academy of Management Journal, 49(2), 281-303.
Eprints ID
256870