Seconds Out, Round Two: Contextualising E-Government Projects within their Institutional Milieu - A London Local Authority Case Study

It is early days yet to be able to truly determine whether the visions of e-government are realisable or not. The focus of the majority of the projects, and even research, on e-government has been on the possible impact of tech- nology on government's interaction with citizens. This paper looks beyond this level, investigating the challenges faced by local government authorities when implementing e-government projects. A case study within a forward looking London borough implementing an e-procurement system was carried out. The research data suggests that the uncertainties faced by the authority during the implementation, and the mechanisms enforced to tackle them, have to be con- sidered if we want to better understand the chances of success of e-govern- ment projects. The study hints that amongst these uncertainties the institutional bar- rier of departmentalism, which lies deep in the public sector, is playing a major role in defining the possible outcome of e-government projects. The paper concludes that this organisational barrier has to be undoubtedly considered to

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