Challenges to Digital Governance: Perspectives on E-Inclusion in Tampere, Finland

Abstract

This chapter discusses a local effort to generate a citizen-centered knowledge society. The empirical evidence is from the city of Tampere, Finland. Particular interest of the chapter is focused on the fiveyear information society initiative “eTampere,” which was implemented between 2001 and 2005. The program was targeted to combine technology-, business-, and citizen-driven features of informational city development. The empirical evidences include two citizen surveys and the final evaluation, including results of a stakeholder survey. Obtained results suggest that technological development and enhancement of local governance requires recognition of the social conditions underlying the access, skill, and motivation of citizens to beneficially use the provided digital services. These issues are related to the whole of society whose scope of change is much longer than it is for that of technological development. The chapter argues that successful and purposeful development of digital governance is thus a question of integrating technology into a social structure.