e-government theories and challenges

In e-government there is an ongoing debate about the theoretical foundations and the typical e-government specific challenges that are encountered. This article aims to provide a better understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of e-government and the challenges that research in e-government encounters. It also aims to determine strategies for creating stronger links to the foundations of the various disciplines and therefore to foster learning from each other. In doing so we present the results of analyzing the discussion of a plenary panel (Evaluating the Multidisciplinary Characteristics of E-Government: Finding the Roots of E-Government) organized during one of the Annual International Conferences on Digital Government Research [17]. The results show the diversity of the topics tackled and theories used by the community. Understanding the context and sociotechnical views is considered as key in a field in which political, public administration, information systems and computer science aspects are blended.