Collaboration and E-Government

Abstract

Collaboration is an important element in the advancement of e-government (Hu et al., 2006). This chapter examines the level of collaboration among state governments to see how advanced they are in e-government. Collaboration is critical in homeland security because it is one of the often cited challenges in the time of a crisis (Reddick, 2008). In order to understand Homeland Security Information Systems (HSIS), one must delve into the impact of collaboration and e-government. There is a growing body of research on e-government and its impact on managerial effectiveness; with collaboration being an important area of management effectiveness (Yang and Paul, 2005; Reddick 2007). This chapter examines how state governments measure up against some noted principles of effective collaboration. The role of citizens in the collaborative process is examined, with citizens arguably being the key to more effective collaborative efforts through e-government (Vigoda-Gadot, 2002). Indeed, research shows that citizen involvement in the decision-making process through collaborative efforts will enhance democracy and accountability of governments (Vigoda-Gadot, 2003). In order to examine collaboration and e-government this chapter first outlines several key principles of effective collaboration and relates them to e-government. Second, this chapter provides a conceptual framework of collaboration and e-government. Third, there is a data analysis of a survey of Chief Information Officers (CIO) opinions on collaboration and e-government. The conclusion of this chapter summarizes and examines the impact of collaboration on HSIS.