A Social Perspective on Implementation of e‑Government — a Longitudinal Study at the County Administration of Sweden

Abstract

A longitudinal study of implementation of e‑Government at the County Administration of Sweden was analysed and discussed from a social perspective. Two interview studies at the legal and traffic departments were compared. Interviews were made with decision makers, handling officers and administrative assistants focussing on social consequences of work situations, work processes and quality of e‑services to the clients. The MOA‑model was used as a frame of reference for the study. According to the analysis, coping and sense making strategies by the respondents increased. e‑Government made demands for new competencies for employees and clients. Internal and external digital divides are social consequences of the implementation of e‑services. Management increased their focus on efficiency aspects related to e‑Government. There is a need to integrate competence of social aspects into the development process of e‑Government. The users were aware of the importance of social aspects of IT implementation. There is a need for competence development of social consequences related to IT implementation also for development personnel and different interest groups.