Risk and Decision in Collaborative e‑Government: An Objectives‑Oriented Approach

Abstract

Abstract. Developing e‑services in the public sector is a demanding task that involves a variety of stakeholders and values. Further complexity is added by organizational and institutional challenges, especially when specialized government agencies are expected to collaborate to create seamless, integrated services. This paper focuses on decision making and risk analysis in two Swedish collaborative e‑Government cases. Empirical material consists of semi‑structured interviews and project documentation, which are analyzed using an objectives‑oriented Logical Framework Approach (LFA). The results highlight two factors that influence the outcomes of the projects; governance for collaboration and financial models for distributing resources between government agencies. When these formal support mechanisms are not provided, they become risks for the projects and create uncertainties in decision processes. While the studied government context has matured enough to develop fully functional platforms for e‑services, these uncertainties become issues when public values are to be measured and evaluated. The paper concludes by suggesting the use of public values as objectives together with measurable indicators in order to create a common language for decision making and risk management across government agencies.