Best practice of digital government in emerging democracies: Illustrations, challenges and reflections of state building processes

Abstract

Digital government applications and models often add layers to existing structures, organizations, and routines to facilitate public services. In most states digital government is thus added to established structures and organizations, but what happens when e-government develop at as an integrated part of new state building? This is the overall question in this paper presenting an analysis of best practices of e-government in six countries in the Western Balkans - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The cases of best practice have been identified through an interactive research process, and analyzed through a combined lens of eGovernment stage-models and core public values. The analysis shows how new digital government applications and innovations are designed and used in new democracies as part of new state building structures. The findings indicate a lack of new institutional arrangements for digital government. Taken together it shows that the development of eGovernment in the Western Balkans follows a path-dependence of other states, in spite of the opportunities for more innovative and sustainable eGovernment by continuing the institutional reformation.