Abstract: Do European Union (EU) institutions shape national eGovernment
policies and strategies? Is there a process of eGovernment Europeanization in
operation? If so, what are the most relevant Europeanization mechanisms within
this policy field? How do they work in institutional terms and what are their
implications for public sector innovation? These are some of the key questions
this paper addresses. To date, national eGovernment strategies and policies
have to some extent been shaped by European institutions; this study tackles
this phenomenon and seeks to provide some conclusions from the point of view of
public policy innovation. In so doing, it concentrates on two different
theoretical sources: Europeanization and new institutionalism. This paper also
analyzes the most relevant mechanisms deployed by EU institutions to frame
national policies, strategies, norms, ideas, and actions in the field of
eGovernment using, above all, the open method of coordination (OMC)
(benchmarking, good practice exchange, etc.). The results of this paper shed
light on various aspects of this European frame, and how specific instruments
operate, by addressing domestic administrative systems and arrangements.
Institutional theory facilitates the understanding of this type of
policy-learning processes and debates, constraints and drivers for policy
innovation derived form European institutions, as well as problems concerning
potential applications of the OMC as a common framework for working across
European policy areas.
Keywords: European Union, information and communication technologies, public administration, open method of coordination, policy learning, policy transfer
