The impact of politics on e-government

On local IT-projects and democratic accountability

Abstract

IT-projects, with the development of an electronic government (e-government) as the overarching aim, occupy a central position in the transformation of local governments. The large amount of public resources spent on IT-projects, as well as the uncertain impact of e-government on citizen trust for public institutions, calls for a closer look at what part local councillors have in this development process. The aim of this article is therefore to analyze the role and significance of local councillors in the project organization of e-government, as well as to discuss what possible democratic implications their participation (or non-participation) may have. The results show that the roles of local councillors vary but that their participation could have an impact on the organization of the projects, in particular for a more long-term and coherent development process. The conclusions highlight the importance of councillors governing the development process, since they contribute with decisive aspects such as political visions and legitimate decision-making power. These aspects are deemed significant not only for the development of IT-projects, but also, in the long-term, for the future development of public administration. This is especially applicable if democratic accountability is to be enforced. The absence of political governing could potentially undermine other dimensions inherent in the role of local councillors, such as representation and decision-making, which could impair democratic legitimacy.