e‑Government in Local Government: Challenges and Capabilities

Abstract

Abstract: Public sector organizations are supposed to increase productivity by large‑scale investments in IT. This research investigates the municipalities capabilities to increase productivity through IT investments, and what major challenges must be overcome to do so. The research identifies several problems that reduce productivity gains. These problems persist even though they might seem trivial and easily remedied. They are however symptoms of a more general challenge: Difficulties achieving a proper alignment between IT and organizational processes. This alignment gap is related to the way service production is regulated and organized and the way IT is developed and acquired, the lack of local technology and task control that emerges and the resulting lack of managed coordination between task and technology design.