Electronic government: Linking citizens to public organizations through technology

Abstract

This study explores a series of cases where technology is substituted for structure to link citizens to government organizations. The case of using electronic means to deliver public services is viewed in terms of two different types dimensions: first, the technology may be simple or complex; second, one organization can provide the service or the service can be jointly produced by multiple organizations. In either case, citizens are linked to government in ways that raise questions about how government performance differs when services are delivered using technology instead of government organizations. The study is an example of service provision in the hollow state.