GUEST EDITORIAL e-Government: past, present and future

European Journal of Information Systems (2007) 16, 103–105. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000678 According to a report by Kable (a leading provider of public sector research), U.K. central government information and communication technology (ICT) spend, which represents one of the largest in the world, will grow by 21% over the next 3 years reaching d3.2 billion by 2007/2008 and is expected to reach d4.2 in 2010/2011 (Kable, 2006). In contrast, U.K. local authorities are expected to deliver a total of d1.2 billion in accumulated efficiency savings by 2007/2008 directly as a result of such e-Government investments (IDABC, 2005). However, the parliamentary office of science and technology (POST) recently reported that the cost of cancelled or over-budget government ICT projects over the last 6 years is greater than d1.5 billion (POST, 2003). Clearly, questioning normative approaches to e-Government provision building and the appropriateness of existing toolsets. Therefore, there is much need as reflected by Irani et al. (2005) to explore e-Government capacity building such that value for the taxpayer is realised. Innovations in ICT offer rich opportunities for governments to significantly improve the delivery of their services and to interact more openly with their constituents. High-quality experiences with responsive, integrated private sector information systems have led citizens to expect the same kinds of experience from public bodies and agencies (Hazlett and Hill, 2003). Consequently, citizens and businesses are demanding more effective and efficient delivery of services as well as an improvement in the quality of information received (Ongaro, 2004). While ICT can be used to transform the way in which governments offer their services, it should be acknowledged that a detailed business case for implementing the technology must be undertaken with emphasis on cultural change, greater degree of commitment, organisational structure and business processes (Liu and Hwang, 2003). However, e-Government is not a simple matter. Although governments have eagerly looked forward to a digital future since the mid-1990s, their efforts to turn vision into reality have come up against a variety of challenges (Ke and Wei, 2004). According to Strejcek and Theil (2002), many ICT projects initiated by governments fail because they are poorly coordinated and because agencies act too independently. Others believe that e-Government is an evolutionary phenomenon and that therefore e-Government initiatives should be derived and implemented accordingly (Layne and Lee, 2001; Lee et al., 2005). Nonetheless, learning from the past and from the experiences of others is essential for improving the way in which governments can deliver better services. Yet, as innovations in technology emerge, governments will be faced with new demands and challenges. This special issue of European Journal of Information Systems presents a series of papers that examine the past, present and future aspects of e-Government. We begin with a paper examining how user perceptions of the characteristics of REVS (Remote Electronic Voting Systems) such as availability, mobility, accuracy, privacy protection and ease of use, affect their intention to use it. Yao and Murphy argue that the intention to use a voting technology can affect a voter’s decision to participate or not in the election process. In doing so, Yurong and Lisa state that the REVS European Journal of Information Systems (2007) 16, 103–105 & 2007 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved 0960-085X/07 $30.00