e-Service Journal HICSS Special Issue

E-government utilization is increasing in countries across the globe. Both researchers and practitioners recognize the benefits of technology mediated services in the public sector. These benefits include reduced transaction costs and improved customer service. This special issue highlights diverse e-services used to engage the citizenry and improve service delivery. The first article entitled “Defining e-Governance” by Frank Bannister and Regina Connolly provides a thorough review of e-governance literature. It proposes a comprehensive definition of e-governance and highlights the differences between e-governance and e-government. The authors also make a distinction between structural and normative governance.

The second article by Nripendra P. Rana, Michael D. Williams, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, and Janet Williams is entitled “Theories and Theoretical Models for Examining the Adoption of E-Government Services.” The authors conduct a systematic analysis of e-government literature to evaluate the conceptual development, theoretical foundation and methodological rigor employed in e-government studies. This paper also assesses the performance of five popular IS adoption models used in e-government research.

The third paper, “Development of a Disability Employment Information System: An Information Systems Design Theory Approach” is written by Benjamin L. Schooley, Sue S. Feldman, and Nagla S. Alnosayan. In this study, the authors develop and evaluate a disability employment information system prototype for a U.S. Social Security Administration program. The results of their case study have major implications for enhancing the development of disability information systems in the public sector.

The final article, written by Sandeep Purao and Kevin C. Desouza, is entitled “Investigating Failures in Large-Scale Public Sector Projects with Sentiment Analysis.” In this study, the authors conduct a historical analysis of the IRS Business Systems Modernization (BSM) by using existing documents to extract stakeholder sentiments. In particular, the paper highlights measures that may offer early indications of project progress and help managers prevent undesirable outcomes. Collectively, the articles in this issue address important elements of e-services and information in the public sector. From thorough reviews of the literature to empirical assessments of fundamental e-government research models, this issue presents a diverse discussion of fundamental e-service issues.