The Evolution of Internal IT Applications and e-Government Studies in Public Administration
| Author | Jooho Lee,Chul-Young Roh,M. Jae Moon |
| Published date | 01 January 2014 |
| Date | 01 January 2014 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0095399712459723 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
9723Administration & SocietyMoon et al.
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Article
Administration & Society
2014, Vol. 46(1) 3 –36
The Evolution of
© The Author(s) 2012
DOI: 10.1177/0095399712459723
Internal IT Applications
aas.sagepub.com
and e-Government
Studies in Public
Administration: Research
Themes and Methods
M. Jae Moon1, Jooho Lee2, and Chul-Young Roh3
Abstract
This study reviews research themes and methods used in information
technology (IT) in government and e-government research. Although
IT/e-government studies (including inward aspects of IT applications in gov-
ernment and e-government studies) continue to increase, they are not com-
prehensively understood as a subfield within public administration. Based
on Rosenbloom’s three competing approaches to public administration
(managerial, political, and legal), we investigated the major research themes
of IT/e-government studies in public administration. We analyzed 248 IT/e-
government articles published in six major public administration journals
from 1965 to 2010 to examine IT/e-government research trends in terms of
research themes and methods.
Keywords
e-government, IT applications in government, public administration
1Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
2University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
3City University of New York at Lehman College, USA
Corresponding Author:
M. Jae Moon, Room 303 Yonhee Hall, Yonsei University 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
120-749, Korea.
Email: mjmoon@yonsei.ac.kr
4
Administration & Society 46(1)
Introduction
Over the past five decades, various issues surrounding information technol-
ogy (IT) utilization in public organizations have been globally discussed
among scholars and practitioners of public administration. The early devel-
opment and application of IT led to enhanced efficiency and effectiveness by
enabling governments to store, process, and manage public data. Recent
developments in Internet technologies have diversified and improved the
provisions of public services at the local, state, and federal levels.
IT in government can be differentiated from e-government. IT in govern-
ment refers to inward applications (back-office applications) of IT in govern-
ment organizations for various routine operations or functions. As D. F. Norris
(2010) pointed out, e-government is the outward applications of IT for vari-
ous operations and functions, including G2C (government to citizens), G2B
(government to business), and G2G (government to government). e-Government
is often defined as a provision of government information and services
24/7/365 via the Internet and beyond space and time (Moon, 2002; Moon &
Norris, 2005; D. F. Norris, 2003, 2010; D. F. Norris & Moon, 2005).1
Acknowledging the differences in IT in government and e-government (here-
inafter IT/e-government), we will examine and analyze the two subjects sep-
arately though the term e-government is sometimes used more broadly.
With the growing utilization of IT in the public sector, various practices
and implications of IT have been discussed and examined by scholars in pub-
lic administration through individual research projects. However, public
administration scholars have given limited attention to actually linking vari-
ous issues surrounding IT utilization in government organizations to the dis-
cipline of public administration at the macro level. The majority of
e-government studies deal with the specific aspects of IT applications in the
public sector (such as practical applications and performance) or they exam-
ine theoretical and normative discussions on prospects and concerns related
to e-government.
The purpose of this study is to review and understand the evolution of
studies on IT applications for improvement of internal administration (IT in
government studies) and the provision of external public services through
Internet (e-government studies) in public administration. In particular, we
elucidate what themes and methods have been applied to IT/e-government
studies as well as how those studies are connected to the traditional approach
of public administration. We argue that IT/e-government studies are part of
the public administration field rather than a separate area with fundamental
differences from traditional public administration research. Many believe
Moon et al.
5
that the nature of IT/e-government studies is different due to interest in new
technologies as well as emphasis on new developments and opportunities
available to public institutions and the public. We also argue that the study of
IT/e-government has evolved into a subarea of public administration because
extensive research has been accumulated and shared by many students of
public administration.
We categorized various IT/e-government studies according to their
research theme and adopted three primary approaches to public administra-
tion that include the political, managerial, and legal approaches proposed by
Rosenbloom. This categorization will help us understand the nature of IT/e-
government studies as a subarea of public administration. This will help us
understand the locus (political, managerial, and legal) and the focus in terms
of the various values that IT/e-government studies examine. We also sur-
veyed various research methods adopted in IT/e-government studies to see
which research methods are preferred. To examine the research themes and
methods in the IT/e-government study, we reviewed six major academic jour-
nals in the public administration discipline between 1965 and 2010.
Managerial, Political, and Legal
Approaches to the Study of Public
Administration
Reflecting on the three branches of government (legislature, judiciary, and
executive), Rosenbloom (1983) argued that the study of public administra-
tion is located at the intersection of three competing approaches that include
political, managerial, and legal approaches. Rosenbloom’s three competing
approaches to public administration have been adopted as a useful frame-
work by a number of scholars for various studies on the phenomena sur-
rounding the enterprise of government (B. Brown & Stillman, 1985),
contemporary public administration approaches (Lan & Anders, 2000), drug
testing policy (Knowles & Riccucci, 2001), and the assessment of health care
programs in the public sector (Reed & Meyer, 2004).
Table 1 shows that each approach emphasizes distinct values and perspec-
tives on public administration.
Originating with the 19th-century civil service reform and the scientific
management revolution in the early 20th century, the managerial approach to
public administration highlights apolitical administration to pursue more effi-
cient, more effective, and more legitimate governments. To pursue manage-
rial values such as effectiveness, efficiency, and economy, early scholars
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Administration & Society 46(1)
Table 1. Three Approaches to Public Administration.
Managerial approach
Political approach
Legal approach
Origin
Civil service reform
The New deal
Administrative law
Scientific management
World War II
Judicialization
Movement
Constitutional law
Value
Effectiveness
Representativeness
Procedural due Process
Efficiency
Responsiveness
Individual right
Economy
Accountability
Equity
(Gulick & Urwick, 1937; White, 1926; Wilson, 1887) in public administra-
tion asserted the separation of administration from politics. They also empha-
sized the importance of the principles of administration (Gulick, 1937) and
scientific management (Taylor, 1912) in operating government-like business
firms. Weber’s (1922) bureaucratic structure was also highly regarded
because it was considered the most efficient organizational form that maxi-
mized managerial values and administrative rationality through specializa-
tion, hierarchical structure, and impersonalization. Criticizing the separation
of public administration from politics, some scholars, such as Appleby
(1945), began to stress the relationship between public administration and
politics, particularly after The New Deal and World War II.
Emphasizing the political nature of public administration, namely, admin-
istrators who deal with conflicting interests among stakeholders and practical
discretionary decisions in policy-making and implementation processes, the
political approach emphasizes representativeness, responsiveness, and the
accountability of administrative agencies to the public and elected officials.
The executive branch is structured to reflect the conflicting values and inter-
ests of different groups in a pluralistic society; in addition, it is organized to
pursue multiple goals based on the interests of different groups.
With an emphasis on constitutional law, administrative law, and the emerg-
ing judicialization (Rosenbloom, 1983; Rosenbloom, Carroll, & Carroll,
2000) of public administration, the legal approach focuses on legal values
such as procedural due process and individual rights (e.g., privacy and equal
access to government information). The legal approach suggests that the
legal principle of adversary procedure and the role of independent regulatory
authorities protect individual legal rights against illegal administrative
actions. This approach emphasizes the fact that core functions of the admin-
istrative branch should be performed through an incremental decision-making
process to protect the legal rights of individuals within and outside of public
Moon et al.
7
organizations. To better understand the individual case...
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