"Leaders and followers: E-government, policy innovation and policy transfer in the European Union"

Margetts, Helen and Dunleavy, Patrick and Bastow, Simon and Tinkler, Jane (2003) "Leaders and followers: E-government, policy innovation and policy transfer in the European Union". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 24, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

This paper looks at the impact of electronic government-widespread government use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) - on the transaction costs of policy innovation. E-government has great potential to reduce the transaction costs of innovation for those organizations that use it creatively. Government agencies relay heavily on private sector computer services providers for ICI expertise. Over time, governments develop distinctive "contracting regimes' where trends in public management reform contracting styles and markets of computer services providers produce a variety of patterns of contract relationships. Certain contract configurations can introduce new transaction cists and agency costs which offset potential gains in terms of innovation. The paper compares the UK case with the Netherlands and other international examples to conclude that countries using a "Rhineland" model of contracting - as used in the Netherlands - are more likely to experience a net reduction in transaction costs and develop more innovative styles of policy-making through e-government initiatives than those using an "Anglo¬Saxon" model - for example, the UK and various countries outside the EU such as the U.S., Australia and Japan.