The Influence of Public Values on User Participation in e-Government: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

In the last three decades, governments have strongly increased their use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the service delivery towards their users. However, this development of ICT solutions must be performed in close collaboration with the users so that the e-government services are aligned with their requirement and needs. Gathering the input from the users can be performed through the use of different participation methods. The choice of the method is context-specific and public servants tend to lack proper guidance about the appropriate method(s) to use. Public values are at the core of the strategy of the organization and constitute an essential context factor to consider. Therefore, in this paper, we analyze how public values impact practitioners in their selection of development methods of e-government services. Via the analysis of four e-government projects, we examine the relevance of public values as key drivers behind user participation decisions. Furthermore, we formulate recommendations for practitioners to provide guidance in their choice depending on the values they are seeking.