Affiliations: [a] eGovernance Center, Monitoring and Research Department, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia | [b] Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany/SUNY, Albany, NY, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Sharon S. Dawes, Center for Technology in Government,
Abstract: This research explored the effect of institutional factors on e-governance development and performance, with particular attention to Russian Federation conditions. The authors conducted a multi-method case study that explores how institutional factors appear to influence the performance of e-governance. Using the case of the Russian Federation, the analysis focused on underlying regulative, normative, and cultural factors revealed through international and domestic studies, government structures, legal foundations, and choices made about what to monitor and measure. We found strong hierarchical structures with fragmented responsibilities, and laws and regulations that focus mainly on the role of authorities, formal power and technologies. In terms of performance, most attention is paid to monitoring e-services and technical infrastructure with almost no attention to citizen engagement, empowerment, or participation. These dominant trends contribute to institutional traps (including internal fragmentation, inflexible patterns of interaction, expectations of corruption, over reliance on international rankings) that significantly limit the development of e-governance and its promises of administrative reform, better public services, and new concepts of citizenship. The research concludes with an argument that a multi-faceted approach to assessment provides greater understanding of a given country’s e-governance pattern and its prospects for future development.
