Same Bed, Different Dreams? A Comparative Analysis of Citizen and Bureaucrat Perspectives on E-Government

• Author: M. Jae Moon,Eric W. Welch
• Published date: 01 September 2005
• Date: 01 September 2005
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X05275508
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/0734371X05275508

REVIEWOFPUBLICPERSONNELADMINISTRATION/Sept.2005

Moon,Welch/PERSPECTIVESONE-GOVERNMENT

Same Bed, Different Dreams?

A Comparative Analysis of Citizen

and Bureaucrat Perspectives on E-Government

M. JAE MOON

Korea University

ERIC W. WELCH

University of Illinois at Chicago

Recent studies indicate that bureaucrats and citizens are beginning to recognize

the opportunities that information and communication technologies offerfor

governance as well as the constraintson such technologies. However, it is unclear

how much, or even if, the perspectives of citizens and bureaucrats regarding e-

government coincide or diverge. Using data collected from independently

administered random surveys of citizens and bureaucrats in late 2001 by Hart-

Teeter, thisarticle first compares the perspectives of these two groups onaspectsof

e-government: their knowledge of it, attitudes toward it, concerns about it, and

thoughts about the pace of its implementation. The article models the factors

determining respondents’ preferred pace of e-government implementation, then

discusses policy implications from top-down (Hamiltonian) and bottom-up

(Jeffersonian) approaches.

Keywords: e-government; information technolog y; citizen; bureaucrat

Following the surge of e-business and the expanded use of information

technology (IT) applications in society, e-government has become one of

the primary themes in public management. Governments are continually

implementing an increasing variety of performance-enhancing information

and communication technologies (microcomputers, mainframes, Geo-

graphic Information System [GIS], the Internet, etc.). Recognizing the

potential of Internet technology to facilitate the conducting of the public’s

business, agencies have turned to e-government during the past decade to

replace or complement traditional public service delivery systems. For exam-

ple, governments have developed Web portals from which they provide vari-

ous e-government programs, including public information dissemination,

243

Review of Public Personnel Administration,Vol. 25, No. 3 September 2005 243-264

DOI: 10.1177/0734371X05275508

© 2005 Sage Publications

online public services, financial transactions, and online public participation.

Moreover,politicians often see e-government initiatives to be politically useful,

innovative approaches to better governance(Coursey & Killingsworth, 2000).

Although many proponents of e-government believe that IT is a power-

ful tool for advancing managerial efficiency and effectiveness in the public

sector, others, more cautious and less enthusiastic, point out potential bar-

riers and raise privacy and security concerns (DiMaggio, Hargittai,

Neuman, & Robinson,2001). Recent studies indicate that bureaucrats and

citizens have begun to appreciate the opportunities and constraints related

to application of IT for better governance. However, it is unclear if—and if

so, why—citizens’ and bureaucrats’ opinions coincide or diverge about the

scope and objectives of e-government services, as well as about legal issues

such as privacy and security (Kim & Kim, 2003; Thomas & Streib, 2003).

A comparison of citizens’ and bureaucrats’ perspectives on e-government

may indicate how e-government initiatives should be formulated and imple-

mentedin the United States and other countries where citizens and bureau-

crats are critical participants in the policy process. An understanding ofthe

perspectives of citizens and bureaucrats on e-government should inform

discussion of the scope and the speed of implementation of e-government

programs. To date, this area of research has generally been ignored; e-

government policy has been largely shaped by hype, rhetoric, and norma-

tive arguments (Bradshaw-Lynn, 2000).

Using data collected from two independently administered random sur-

veys of citizens and bureaucrats in late2001 by Hart-Teeter,this article first

compares the perspectives of these two groups on such issues as the effec-

tiveness of e-government in providing services, equity and access, privacy

and security concerns, barriers to development, and reluctance to accelerate

implementation of e-government. The article then models the way in

which these perspectives influence citizens’ and bureaucrats’ overall expec-

tations and perceptions of e-government. Regression results indicate areas

of convergence and divergence; these findings are then linked with the

broader public administration literature on citizens and bureaucrats.

HISTORICAL VIEWS AND EXPLORATORY PROPOSITIONS

ABOUT CITIZENS’ AND PUBLIC SERVANTS’ PERCEPTIONS

OF E-GOVERNMENT

As Kettl (2002) noted, American public administrationis a complex sys-

tem with philosophical, social, and political roots grounded in the

244 REVIEW OF PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION / Sept.2005