E-Government Research: Capabilities, Interaction, Orientation, and Values

Abstract

A comprehensive analysis of 110 peer-reviewed journal papers suggests that the conceptual domains and application areas covered by e-government research focus predominately on capabilities and interactions, whereas value distributions and policy orientations are largely ignored. Onwards, e-government research is more concerned with conceptualizing government and e-services, than exploring the governmental role in technology diffusion and the role IT plays in democracy and participation. The orientation of the e-government research is an indicator that the legacy of IS-research themes dominates the e-government research body. Interdisciplinary research involving core public administration research along with IS-research is yet to emerge. It is proposed that the field could be more unified if considering both the “e” and “government” of e-government.