E-government: a grey zone between the public and the corporate sector

The public sector’s usage of new information and communication technologies, has ever since the first procured computer been located in an intermediate ‘grey zone’ between government and the corporate sector. While... [ view full abstract ]

The public sector’s usage of new information and communication technologies, has ever since the first procured computer been located in an intermediate ‘grey zone’ between government and the corporate sector. While governments’ exercise of authority and delivery of service through digital channels generally is considered to be situated in the public sector sphere, factors such as e.g. outsourcing of various activities, data storage and much more, is normally located in the corporate sector. And quite contrary to much of the other public and academic debate on contracts and privatisation has been fierce and contested, electronic government is rarely mentioned.  

This theoretical paper reviews the academic empirical evidence of some kind of privatisation of in electronic government practice with respect to a) market driven policy, b) outsourcing, c) data mining and storage, d) open data and smart cities, e) the IT-professional culture.