Urban E-government initiatives and environmental decision performance in Korea

Abstract

Although e-government initiatives have been credited as engines of government reform, empirical evidence is insufficient to determine their effects on public sector performance. To explore the impact of e-government on local governance, this article examines how e-government initiatives influence the perceived performance of environmental decision making in an urban context and what organizational and contextual factors affect Web-aided decision performance. Data were collected from the content analysis of city government Web sites and a nationwide survey of city officials in Korea. Findings from path analysis show that (1) information technology leadership of senior management and Web site quality are key to decision intelligence, quality, and speed and (2) e-government Web divide, a gap in the capability of city Web sites to support public service delivery and democratic interaction, translates into disparities in environmental decision performance across cities. Additionally, environmental activism is a significant factor shaping the impact of e-government on environmental decision making. E-government initiatives contribute to local governance performance, but their impacts vary, depending on Web site quality and the entrepreneurial leadership of public managers.