Affiliations: [a] Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. E-mail: bekkers@fsw.eur.nl | School of Governance, Utrecht University, The Netherlands | Department of Statistics, Trinity College, Ireland | Department of Public Administration, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: Why does e-government look as it looks? One could argue that the
explanatory power of many e-government studies is weak. In this article it is
argued that the explanatory power of -government studies could be improved by
making use of three bodies of knowledge: a) open innovation studies because ICT
is an important source of innovation, b) technology studies, because ICT is the
outcome of a socio-political shaping process and c) bodies of knowledge that
address steering, because ICT is an act of steering to achieve political
outcomes. Finally a synthesis of the results is being presented.
Keywords: e-government, ICT and public innovation, technology studies, steering
