e-Governance in Danish Local Authorities
- an Essay on Research in the Area
Summary
The point of departure for the essay is that a very large amount of resources is spent to further develop the use of ICT by Danish local authorities, but very little research has been done in the area. This is a dynamic field, and much effort is being made to ensure optimum operation of the systems, especially in the light of the implementation of the local government reform, but there appears to be less emphasis on research in and development of the material contained in the systems and the consequences of ICT for citizens.
This essay contributes to the discussion on intensifying research in the area of »e-governance in Danish local authorities«, and points to some sub-areas for research that have practical relevance. The target group is key persons in central and local government, research institutes and private-sector companies that have an interest in social-science research in the area.
e-Governance is a wide field, and we have chosen to confine ourselves to the citizen-oriented sub-areas of e-self-service, citizens’ involvement in own cases, e-democracy and knowledge-sharing.
A selective review of recent Danish social-science research into e‑governance is provided and relevant research centres are mentioned. The review shows that research in the area is of modest proportions, both in relation to the local authority resources invested in the area and the anticipated scope of digitalisation, including internet-based communication, in years to come.
It is striking that research in the area has, in recent years, particularly focused on the democratic potentials thought to be offered by local authority use of ICT for information and communication with and between citizens. However, very little research has been undertaken in the large application area of electronic self-service. It also applies to both e‑service and e-democracy that research has mainly focused on local authorities’ administrative activities and on politicians’ work, and to a lesser extent on the institutional level (schools, pre-schools, centres for the elderly, etc.), which is actually where citizens have most contact with their local authority.
As regards research into electronic self-service, the study points to areas needing attention in relation to citizens’ use of e-self-service in complicated cases. For example, does the use of e-self-service improve the level of case-processing because citizens have prepared themselves better, have acquired more knowledge in advance, etc.? Or is it the case that users’ demands become unrealistic seen from the point of view of the local authority, so that cooperation on an acceptable solution for both parties is replaced by negotiations that are burdensome for everyone?
It is known that savings as a result of e-self-service are mainly achieved where work processes and competence distribution are changed in connection with digitalisation projects. But what organisational changes are these, and how are they related to learning and competence-building? It is in some cases important that services supplied by several institutions and suppliers are coordinated – and how does the use of ICT affect the coordination of such services?
ICT has great potential as regards knowledge-sharing. It is therefore relevant to ask whether the possibilities offered by ICT for data representation, storage and collection for the purposes of case-processing, general and advisory services and professional development will affect the quality of services provided to citizens.
A special instance of this is knowledge-sharing between service providers and citizens, which must satisfy legislative requirements and citizens’ expectations regarding involvement in their own cases. The main question is whether local authority employees’ production and sharing of information and knowledge will be affected (and if so how) when citizens are able to take part as (co)producers or users of information and knowledge via ICT.
As regards e-democracy, it is relevant to consider whether ICT constitutes a supplement to existing means of influence, or whether e‑democratic participation methods replace previous ways of exercising influence. Will news posted electronically by local authorities, reports of consultations, on-line debates, etc., mean that local news media will cover less local politics, that participation in public meetings will decline, and so on? Another matter for investigation is whether the possibilities offered by e‑democracy will invite new social groups to attempt to make their influence felt, for example, because the participation threshold is lower than in traditional public debate, or whether it will be those who are already articulate and politically active who will now have further means of acting, thus creating »digital divides«.
Finally, there is the media-policy question of advantages and disadvantages of local authorities’ making public areas available on local authority websites – public areas which are, it should be noted, controlled by the local authority. Could non-independence become an issue, when/if the debate in the traditional independent media is reduced in favour of local government communication and virtual public areas which the local authority controls?
In conclusion, we propose the following specific areas for research within e-governance: disadvantaged children and young people and schools and health services.
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