Research Lab

Evaluating and Operationalizing E-Government Implementation Factors

E-Government Implementation

Organisation

• Study programs: Master of Science: E-Government, Information Systems, Digital Business Management, Web and Data Science
• Schedule: The kick-off meeting of the research lab will be organised once at least 6 people are registered in Klips. Regular formal meetings will take place every two to three weeks.
• Registration in Klips: is currently open

Background & Point of View

Digital transformation in the public sector is a complex socio-technical endeavor. The success or failure of such initiatives is rarely determined by technology alone. Organizational structures, governance arrangements, project management, interoperability, stakeholder involvement, competencies, communication, legal requirements, and individual personal or political interests can all influence how e-government initiatives develop and whether these can be successfully implemented. Previous research from Spitzer (2024) on influencing factors of E-Government implementation in Germany has identified and structured a broad range of factors that can positively or negatively moderate digital transformation initiatives. Based on qualitative research and five empirical case studies, these factors have been integrated into an explanatory model covering technical, managerial, political and strategic, organizational, human-related, and overarching dimensions. The next research challenge is to empirically evaluate, refine, and operationalize this model.

This Research Lab therefore investigates whether the identified influencing factors can be observed across additional e-government and digital transformation projects, how their relevance and interactions can be systematically assessed, and how the scientific model can ultimately be transformed into a practical instrument for public administrations. A further objective is to move from an explanatory scientific model toward an E-Government Implementation Assessment and Monitoring Framework that can support public sector organizations along the journey of planning, implementing and sustaining digital transformation initiatives.

Research Objectives and Tasks

The Research Lab addresses three interconnected objectives:

1. Extending the Empirical Evidence

Depending on the size of the student team, e-government case studies will be identified and empirically investigated along the existing research model.

Students will analyze ongoing or completed digital transformation projects in public administrations and investigate which factors supported, hindered, delayed, or otherwise influenced their implementation.

The additional cases will broaden the empirical foundation of the existing model and allow comparisons across different organizational and project contexts.

2. Evaluation of the Scientific Model

Based on the existing model and the additional empirical evidence, students will develop a systematic evaluation approach.

The aim is to investigate questions such as:

• Can the identified influencing factors be confirmed in additional e-government projects?
• Are additional factors required, especially with the rise of AI tools?
• Which factors occur particularly frequently across different cases, or on specific types of digital transformation initiatives (e.g. AI tool introduction)?
• Under which conditions do factors have a positive or negative influence?
• How do different influencing factors interact or correlate positively or negatively?
• Do the relevance and effects of factors change across different project phases or across different types of initiatives of digital transformation?
• Are specific factors particularly relevant for certain types of e-government projects or administrative organizations?
• How can the explanatory power and practical applicability of the model be systematically evaluated?

The Research Lab will therefore not only apply the existing model but critically examine and further develop it.

3. From Scientific Model to Practical Assessment Framework

In a subsequent step, the Research Lab will investigate how the scientific model can be operationalized for practical use. The objective is to develop the conceptual foundation for an E-Government Implementation Assessment and Monitoring Framework that enables public administrations to systematically assess influencing factors throughout the lifecycle of a digital transformation project.

Such a framework could support three perspectives:

• Before implementation – Readiness & Risk Assessment: Before a project starts, the framework could help identify relevant conditions, potential barriers, missing capabilities, stakeholder constellations, organizational dependencies, and implementation risks.
• During implementation – Monitoring & Project Reflection: During implementation, the framework could support continuous reflection on changing influencing factors, emerging barriers, stakeholder relationships, organizational challenges, and required interventions.
• After implementation – Evaluation & Organizational Learning: After implementation, the framework could support a structured assessment of the project, identify factors that contributed to successful or problematic developments, and document lessons learned for future E-Government initiatives.

The objective is not to develop a simple success score. Instead, the framework should enable a differentiated assessment of the conditions and mechanisms influencing e-government implementation.

Research Activities

Depending on team size and individual research interests, students will work on different but interconnected research tasks:

• Conducting a structured review of approaches for evaluating e-government and digital transformation initiatives
• Investigating existing assessment, maturity, readiness, risk, and project monitoring approaches
• Selecting suitable e-government projects for additional case studies
• Developing or refining interview and data collection instruments
• Conducting semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders
• Analyzing additional case studies using qualitative research methods
• Applying the existing category system and identifying potential additional influencing factors
• Comparing findings across cases
• Developing criteria and mechanisms for evaluating the scientific explanatory model
• Investigating relationships between influencing factors and project phases
• Operationalizing theoretical constructs into measurable or assessable indicators
• Developing an initial E-Government Implementation Assessment and Monitoring Framework
• Designing and, depending on the scope of the Research Lab, prototyping a practical assessment tool
• Evaluating the resulting framework with experts and/or practitioners from public administrations

Possible Research Questions

Possible research questions include:

RQ1: To what extent can the influencing factors identified in the existing explanatory model be confirmed across additional e-government implementation cases?

RQ2: Which additional influencing factors emerge from further empirical case studies?

RQ3: What changes do AI-driven digital transformation initiatives in the public sector imposen on the existing research model?

RQ4: How do positive and negative influencing factors interact or correlate along different phases of e-government implementation?

RQ5: How can the scientific explanatory model be systematically evaluated regarding its completeness, explanatory capability, and applicability across different e-government contexts?

RQ6: How can the identified influencing factors be operationalized into indicators that can be assessed in practice?

RQ6: How shall an assessment framework support public administrations in identifying potential barriers and enabling factors before and during E-Government implementation?

RQ7: How can the framework support systematic reflection and organizational learning after an e-government project has been implemented?

Requirements for Participants

• Interest in e-government, digital transformation, public administration, or information systems

• Interest in empirical and qualitative research

• Understanding of scientific research methods: empirial methods, structured and systematic literature analysis, qualitative content analysis

• Willingness to conduct and analyze interviews and case studies

• Interest in translating theoretical research into practically applicable methods and tools

• Willingness to work with qualitative data analysis software such as MAXQDA and to familiarize oneself with the tool if necessary

• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a research team

Your Benefit

• Work on an ongoing research agenda based on an established scientific model
• Conduct real-world empirical e-government research
• Gain experience in case study and qualitative research methods
• Develop and evaluate a scientific assessment methodology
• Work directly at the intersection of theory and practice
• Collaborate with public sector practitioners and experts
• Contribute to the development of a practical e-government assessment tool
• Potential starting point for a Master’s thesis or further research

The Lecturers