The role of a social system in the implementation and sustainable use of local e-government: an Indonesian case study

Electronic government (e-government) has become an important issue for public administration worldwide, which is made possible by a combination of information technology (IT) and public administration changes. The main objectives of e-government are to alter the structure and process of government organisations to improve performance and increase citizens' access to government services online. However, many e-government implementations, particularly in developing countries, have resulted in failure caused by institutional, human, financial and infrastructure challenges that mostly result from a lack of resources, political commitment and poor maintenance. These commonly occur when government organizations try to sustain their e-government facilities alone. It is argued that an individual organization seldom has enough competence, resources and legitimacy to produce an innovation and commercialize it to a wider community. Consequently, organizations need to coordinate and cooperate to develop an innovation and rely on other actors to emerge and survive. This study draws on a social system framework from Van de Ven et al., (1999) to understand the case of e-government implementation and sustainable use within two local governments (Regencies) in Indonesia. The findings show that components in the social system emerge simultaneously within an e-government implementation and its ongoing, sustainable use. These components include: (1) Institutional arrangements that legitimate, regulate, and standardize the innovation. (2) The resources endowments of technology knowledge and skills, financing mechanism, and human competence. (3) Governmental activities in development and functioning of e-government and building resource channels; (4) Market mechanisms that change cultural norms, educate stakeholders and stimulate demand for egovernment products. All these components are made evident through the coordination and cooperation of actors involved in the social system that sustains the e-government implementation. Components of Van de Ven, et al.'s (1999) social system framework were adjusted and extended based on the findings of the study within the context of the public sector. This adaptation is based on the consideration that 'the specific characteristics of an industrial infrastructure vary according to the technology on which it based' (Van de Ven, 2005, p. 367). The findings from the two Indonesian Regencies can be generalised to a broader population with some limitations. However, this in-depth study of the cases contributes valuable theoretical and practical knowledge to the community. The study findings show that the involvement of actors, such as employees, citizens, politicians, and businesses, are a major factor in the sustainability of e-government. Future research requires exploration of the roles of these actors to provide a broader perspective of their roles in e-government implementation and sustainable use.