Institutional motivations in the adoption of innovations: The case of e-government

Abstract

This article examines the institutional motivations underlying innovation. Although attention to motivation played a role in early theorizing on innovation, the phenomenon is understudied empirically. A clearer understanding of the relative importance of differing institutional motivations can illuminate why public organizations adopting innovative strategies and programs often fail to replicate the benefits of earlier implementations. We draw on organizational and political theory to identify varying dynamics that may lead to adoption of new practices. Specifically, we theorize that organizational motivations may relate to efficiency concerns, to management of internal bureaucratic politics and external demands, or to the search for legitimacy vis-à-vis peer organizations. We test hypotheses based on each of these accounts employing data on the timing and breadth of e-government innovations by American municipalities between 1994 and 2003. Our findings suggest that externally oriented motivations appear more influential than internal factors such as bureaucratic politics. This suggests that over the long run, the evolution of e-governance may make local governments more responsive to external constituencies if barriers to change may be overcome. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Inc. All rights reserved.