Information And Communication Technology And Public Innovation: Assessing the Ict-driven Modernization of Public Administration (Innovation and the Public Sector)

256 Pages·2006·2.12 MB·English

by  Victor Bekkers

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC INNOVATION
Innovation and the Public Sector
The functioning of the public sector gives rise to considerable debate. Not only the efficiency
and efficacy of the sector are at stake, but also its legitimacy. At the same time we see that in the
public sector all kinds of innovations are taking place. These innovations are not only
technological, which enable the redesign of all kinds of processes, like service delivery. The
emphasis can also be put on more organizational and conceptual innovations. In this series we
will try to understand the nature of a wide variety of innovations taking place in the public sector
of the 21st century and try to evaluate their outcomes. How do they take place? What are
relevant triggers? And, how are their outcomes being shaped by all kinds of actors and
influences? And, do public innovations differ from innovations in the private sector? Moreover
we try to assess the actual effects of these innovations, not only from an instrumental point of
view, but also from a more institutional point of view. Do these innovations not only contribute
to a better functioning of the public sector, but do they also challenge grown practices and vested
interests? And what does this imply for the management of public sector innovations?
Series Editor:
Prof. Dr. Victor J.J.M. Bekkers
Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Volume 12
Previously published in this series
Vol. 11. M. Lips, J.A. Taylor and F. Bannister (Eds.), Public Administration in the
Information Society – Essays on Risk and Trust
Vol. 10. M. Veenswijk (Ed.), Organizing Innovation – New Approaches to Cultural Change
and Intervention in Public Sector Organizations
Vol. 9. V.J.J.M. Bekkers and V.M.F. Homburg (Eds.), The Information Ecology of
E-Government – E-Government as Institutional and Technological Innovation in
Public Administration
Vol. 8. D. Ward, The European Union Democratic Deficit and the Public Sphere: An
Evaluation of EU Media Policy
Vol. 7. M.M.J. van Klink and J.E.J. Prins, Law and Regulation: Scenarios for the Information
Age
Vol. 6. I.Th.M. Snellen and W.B.H.J. van de Donk, Public Administration in an Information
Age
Vol. 5. J.A. Taylor, I.Th.M. Snellen and A. Zuurmond (Eds.), Beyond BPR in Public
Administration
Vol. 4. K.V. Andersen (Ed.), Information Systems in the Political World
This series is a continuation of “Informatization Developments and the Public Sector”
(vols. 1–9, ISSN 0928-9038)
ISSN 1871-1073
Information and Communication
Technology and Public Innovation
Assessing the ICT-Driven Modernization of Public Administration
Edited by
Victor Bekkers
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences, the Netherlands
Hein van Duivenboden
Capgemini & Tilburg University, Tias Business School, the Netherlands
and
Marcel Thaens
Ordina & Erasmus University Rotterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences,
the Netherlands
Amsterdam • Berlin • Oxford • Tokyo • Washington, DC
© 2006 The authors.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 1-58603-626-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2006927913
Publisher
IOS Press
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Cover Design
Joost van Grinsven
LEGAL NOTICE
The publisher is not responsible for the use which might be made of the following information.
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
Information and Communication Technology and Public Innovation v
V.J.J.M. Bekkers et al. (Eds.)
IOS Press, 2006
© 2006 The authors. All rights reserved.
Preface
The modernization of public administration is a recurring theme on the political and
public agenda in many countries. Modernization presupposes innovation. However, is
an innovative public administration a contradiction in terminis? According Aloïs
Schumpeter, the founding father of innovation theory, the lack of competition in the
public sector, the short term orientation of politicians and the bureaucratic nature of
public organizations, focusing on creating stability, predictability, legal security and
legal equality, frustrates the ability of public sector organizations to look for new ideas,
new practices, new services and new organizations. However, if we look at the practice
of public administration, and evaluate – from an evolutionary perspective – how public
administration has transformed itself during the last 40 years, we actually see a variety
of radical and incremental changes. Hence, innovation does take place. This book
clearly demonstrates how public administration organizations try to adapt to changing
circumstances in their environment in order to secure their legitimacy.
At the same time we see that public administration tries to respond and anticipate
to new technological developments as well as to make use of them. In many countries
e-government has become the symbol of the way in which ICT has penetrated in the
nerves of ministries, local and regional government and all kinds of agencies. More-
over, a seamless web of information exchange, transaction and communication rela-
tions has been spun within and between all kinds of public, private and semi-public
organizations which are involved in the formulation and implementation of public pol-
icy programs, the execution of public laws and regulations and the evolving delivery of
public services. ICT can be seen as tool, which facilitates the implementation of all
kinds of public innovations on the one hand; on the other hand the possibilities ICT
offers can also be seen as a perspective of change. They can help us frame new possi-
bilities or re-frame existing practices, thereby stimulating a process of ‘creative de-
struction’.
However, how should we assess the added value of ICT to support public innova-
tions? In this book a number of case studies have been presented in which different
kind of ICT-driven innovations have been described and analyzed. All the chapters
have been subjected to a review procedure in order to guarantee the quality of the con-
tributions. In the selection of the chapters we have differentiated between several kinds
of innovations in which ICT has been used in a substantial way. A distinction has been
made between technological, service, organizational, conceptual and institutional inno-
vations. Furthermore we have tried to ensure an international comparative overview of
innovations. Case studies have been included from the United Kingdom, the Nether-
lands, Belgium, the United States of America, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Esto-
nia.
We have tried to assess these innovations in two ways. From an instrumental per-
spective we have looked at the way in which ICT has supported the achievement of
different innovations. What factors have contributed to the way in which the innovation
goals have been accomplished? From an institutional perspective we have looked at the
question, if the use of ICT has contributed to qualitative changes in public administra-
tion? Did ICT reinforce existing practices, or did it substantially generate new prac-
vi
tices, new relationships and new concepts? Moreover, we have included some chapters
that address these questions from a more reflective point of view.
We would like to thank Vivian Carter, Rebecca Moody and the translation service
of Capgemini for their help with the editing of the chapters.
Rotterdam/Tilburg, April 2005
Victor Bekkers
Hein van Duivenboden
Marcel Thaens
vii
Contents
Preface v
Victor Bekkers, Hein van Duivenboden and Marcel Thaens
Part 1. Setting the Stage
Public Innovation and Information and Communication Technology:
Relevant Backgrounds and Concepts 3
Victor Bekkers, Hein van Duivenboden and Marcel Thaens
Governance, ICT and the Innovation Agenda of Public Administration:
A Comparison of Some European Policy Initiatives 22
Victor Bekkers and Evelien Korteland
Part 2. Process Innovation
Process Innovation in the Public Sector: Two Belgian Crossroads Bank
Initiatives 53
Kris Snijkers
Public Service Innovation in Europe 68
Hanneke Driessen
Designing Flexible Information Architectures in Policy Chains and Networks:
Some Dutch Experiences 83
Marcel Thaens, Victor Bekkers and Hein van Duivenboden
Part 3. Product and Technological Innovation
Geographical Information Systems and the Policy Formulation Process:
The Emergence of a Reversed Mixed Scanning Mode? 103
Victor Bekkers and Rebecca Moody
Interactive Digital Television and the ‘New’ Citizen 121
Colin Smith and C. William R. Webster
Part 4. Organizational Innovation
Implementation of Shared Service Centers in Public Administration: Dilemmas
and Trade-Offs 141
René Wagenaar, René Matthijsse, Hans de Bruijn, Haiko van der Voort
and Ruben van Wendel de Joode
Informatization as a Catalyst to Horizontalization in the Dutch Police System 159
Stefan Soeparman and Pieter Wagenaar
viii
Part 5. Conceptual and Institutional Innovation
Empowering Communities for Environmental Decision-Making: Innovative
Partnerships in Cleveland (USA) 175
Arthur Edwards
The UK’s Electronic Mixed Economy of Public Service Delivery:
A Preliminary Evaluation 192
Eleanor Burt and John Taylor
Identity Management as Public Innovation: Looking Beyond ID Cards
and Authentication Systems 204
Miriam Lips, John Taylor and Joe Organ
Part 6. Instrumental and Institutional Assessment
E-Government is an Institutional Innovation 219
Albert Meijer and Stavros Zouridis
Creative Destruction of Public Administration Practices: An Assessment
of ICT-Driven Public Innovations 230
Hein van Duivenboden, Victor Bekkers and Marcel Thaens
Author Index 243
Part 1
Setting the Stage
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