The Promise of Digital Government

Digital technology in business is indispensable and over the last decades revolutionized production and operations on a global level. In politics, however, most countries are still far from having “digital governments”. Many countries possess strategies for the digitalization of governance, although those differ greatly in desired outcome and definitions of the term “digital”. This chapter compares and categorizes different approaches to digital governance in several countries and regions such as USA, UK, Europe and Singapore. It distinguishes between the two notions of eGovernment and Digital Government in focus and approach, showing the opportunities and challenges both can bring about. While opportunities include citizen services, cost savings and growth, common risks of increased digital governance are security concerns, impacts on the labor market and difficulties in change management. The chapter provides a comprehensive summary of recent empirical analyses on the “digital” discourse, concluding that the goals of measurable citizen outcomes, transformative service delivery and public governance are not yet met, but that the way is paved for future improvement.