Till Örebro universitet

In a world marked by democratic decline, the aim of this paper is to summarize research on digital activism in undemocratic countries. We examine how the field of ICT4D can engage with digital activism research in such contexts by highlighting both the role of technology in enabling activism and the profiles of those conducting this research. Based on a scoping review, we find that the main enabler of technology use in undemocratic countries is its capacity to support on-the-ground organizing and to sustain network of activists together in a community. The major constraint, however, is government surveillance and censorship. We conclude by arguing that future studies should involve activists in both conducting and reflecting on the research, in order to generate meaningful and practice-oriented insights. Inspiration can be drawn from action-oriented and practitioner-focused methodologies, including—but not limited to—those used in information systems. Furthermore, future research should explore technological challenges in greater depth, particularly issues related to security and anonymity. Addressing these challenges requires the involvement of information systems researchers with expertise in security and privacy.

Whereas broad launch of public e-services ensures equal and homogenous treatment of citizens, citizen diversity is often set aside. By means of a literature study we describe how research has addressed diversity in the field of eGovernment. we analyzed the papers according to the following codes: group; application domain; unit of analysis; and technology in use or design. Results showed that the most common application domain was e-services with access and use as the most common units of analysis. The most frequently researched groups are based on classical socio-demographic variables such as economy, education and age. Also, the majority of papers discussed services in use. We conclude by suggesting that future research focuses underrepresented user groups; adds further granularity to the classical sociodemographic variables; identifies groups within groups; targets policies and policy implementation; and changes focus from use to development. We also call for conceptual clarity of the concept ‘diversity’. 

E‑government is currently high on the agenda in many developing countries (DCs). While e‑government is well‑established in many developed countries it is new to least developed countries. Countries that start implementing e‑government today can benefit from easy import of modern technologies, but adaptation to local conditions and the organizational change that is required cannot be imported, but must be developed at home. By using examples of an ongoing initiative by the Government of Rwanda to digitalize all G2C and G2B into a single window platform, the current study investigated the important challenges in the implementation of e‑government in Rwanda. An interpretive case study was followed. Data was collected through interviews and participatory observations during August to December 2015. Data analysis was inductive, the analysis method was content analysis, and the coding followed open‑coding. NVivo software has been used to handle data and facilitate the analysis. The study found six overarching categories of aspects that challenge a successful implementation of e‑government in Rwanda. They include information infrastructure for e‑government, social inclusion, governance, management, trust in the new system, and languages. However, challenges to e‑government implementation should not be taken as of the same extent, neither their degree of mitigation. Rather, they influence and are influenced by various contextual factors which include political support, nature of the e‑government project, implementation strategies, human and socio‑economic development, existing information infrastructure, and operational capabilities. Having said this, we also argue that countries should learn from one another of their experiences, success stories, and mistakes. Despite a number of associated challenges, the adopted public‑private partnership (PPP) approach to e‑Government implementation in Rwanda might indeed seem as a suitable catalyst for e‑government success in the country.

2.5.0.0

There are hopes that e-government will bring many benefits, including efficiency, democratization, participation, and emancipation of citizens. However, despite some evidence that supports these claims there are also cases that digitalization can exclude citizens and build new barriers. This is a special challenge for already disadvantaged groups falling outside the norms. In this study we approach the notion of a norm-critical perspective in relation to e-government through a review of literature in combination with action research oriented workshops. From this we conclude that there is a need for more norm-critical perspectives in research on e-government, as most research today focuses on socio-economic digital-divide issues. We also show that it is difficult for involved actors to see beyond the norms and be norm-critical since the norms are embedded into the practices, which in this case, e-government has developed and used. 

The use of ICTs in the public sector, eGovernance, is understood as a complex phenomenon intricately embedded in a continuously changing environment, including multiple actors with disparate interests.  A need for research that takes this complexity into account has been identified, and previous research has suggested employing a sustainability perspective.  The use of the sustainability concept in the eGovernance context is an emerging area without a common focus or use of the concept. There is a lack of research with a thorough basis in sustainability theory, and a need for empirical research focusing on sustainable eGovernance. In order to respond to this need the research question of this paper is, How can current eGovernance practice be interpreted from a sustainability perspective? A case study is performed in the context of Swedish eGovernance practice, at national and municipal level. Interviews are used to investigate practitioners’ views, which are analyzed by using a framework, developed based on eGovernance literature that highlights sustainability. We find that sustainability in eGovernance practice in this case revolve to a large extent around how actors struggle with achieving continuity and implementing a holistic view of the use of ICT in the public sector. We also highlight the issue of trade-offs between different sustainability dimensions.  

In e-government automated decision-making increases, forming part of a trend towards “smart” and self-regulating systems. This necessitates the introduction of new relationships and practices, challenging the division of responsibilities in public administration. Using a case study approach, this paper elaborates on implications of automated decision-making for professional officers in a Swedish public organization. We conclude that automation should be framed in relation to the rules of law and ethics of justice. Furthermore, the roles and competences of professionals are changing, with automated systems beginning to resemble cobureaucrats. Professionals can either make an alliance with the automated system or the client. This choice of strategy is related to the issues of legitimacy and professional competences. We also identify practices as being either a form of caring ethics or a formal legal ethic norm. Such practices should be further addressed to influence practices promoting legitimate systems citizens can trust.

The implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT) can improve the provision of high-quality and efficient healthcare services; however, it has met with significant challenges in many cases. Despite the challenges occurring in many countries, prior research on HIT implementation success factors is, however, mainly from the USA. This research conducted a survey to IT managers in Nordic countries' healthcare organizations and compiled a list of the HIT implementation success factors that these managers considered important in each country. It was found that IT managers in Nordic countries agree highly with each other in their judgment of the importance of these success factors. While Nordic countries' healthcare systems and culture are relatively similar, the results suggest that an internationally applicable set of recommendations for the successful completion of HIT implementations could be within the realm of possibility.

eGov (eGovernment/eGovernance) is a complex endeavor involving many actors, ambitions, and perspectives. The field has, in research and in practice, over the years expanded its focus from service orientation to a comprehensive perspective with the ambition to integrate all of government in coherent action. Comprehensive integration requires a future-oriented perspective so investment is made in robust and flexible solutions meeting not only today's demands but also sustainable to meet those of the future. This paper addresses the use of the sustainability concept in eGov research. We discuss definitions and elements of sustainability and conduct a structured review of eGov literature investigating how various sustainability areas (social, economic, environmental and technical) are addressed. We find 21 overall themes in 94 papers, with the highest number in the “social” category. Two cross-cutting themes to which 21 overall themes relate are also identified; Decision-making and Infrastructure. Findings show that sustainability is mainly addressed narrowly, focusing on projects rather than general issues, and shallowly with a focus on single factors rather than the complex interaction among them, and with little foundation in sustainability theory. The paper contributes with an overview of themes in previous research as well as theory-based input for future research efforts on eGov sustainability, from a dynamic and sociotechnical sustainability perspective.

Many studies have attempted to identify the success factors for Health Information Technology (HIT) implementation. Unfortunately, such success factor lists are long and unwieldy, and it can be difficult to see which ones should have received more attention than others. Thus, there is a need to examine critical success factors (CSFs) that should be most attended to in the context of competing priorities. IT managers, through their experience, can know best which relevant factors have been crucial for successful implementation of the projects; therefore, it is imperative to understand the perceptions of IT managers regarding relative importance of success factors in HIT implementation. This research aims to reassess and synthesize CSFs influencing HIT implementation, focusing on the question: “What are the CSFs in HIT implementation from IT managers’ point of view?” We surveyed the IT managers in four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Swe-den) and discuss the preliminary results regarding IT manager background and the CSFs in this research-in-progress paper.

This thesis focuses on eGovernance – the use of ICT as a means to improve public sector practice. Previous research has shown that there is a lack of long-term discussion on the purposes and directions of eGovernance development, often outlining it as unequivocally positive, while missing to consider the complexities and conflicts involved in this process. In order to understand the complexities of eGovernance a future-oriented perspective is needed. In other words a perspective that not only focuses on using ICT to be responsive to present needs but also making it possible to discuss which goals public sector ICT initiatives should strive for and how these correspond to goals and means in the public sector as a whole. In order to do this I employ a sustainability perspective.

The aim of this thesis is to understand how eGovernance can be sustainable in such a complex organizational environment. This is approached in four papers; based on two case studies, situated in the public sector of Sweden, and a structured literature review of the use of the sustainability concept in eGovernance research.

The findings of this thesis include a framework of sustainable eGovernance, including an outline of the different dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, environmental and technical. These dimensions are seen as carriers of different values and goals which are in a process of continuous dialogue and conflict. Cutting across these four dimensions are two themes: decision making and information infrastructure, which make up the backbone of how ICT can be used in order to improve public practice. The theoretical lens of sustainability widens our understanding and helps in the questioning of motivations, directions and implications of eGovernance initiatives. This thesis thus contributes with a theoretically and empirically founded framework, which is suitable as a foundation for sustainable eGovernance development and further research into that area.