A Dynamic Study on Municipal Website Expected Benefits

The majority of the studies in the field of e-Government on public organizations’ websites have analyzed their technical features and contents from a descriptive point of view. This research, however, aims to explore which benefits municipalities expect to receive when creating an official website. To do so, a quantitative survey was carried out where the Chief Information Officers of medium to large Spanish municipalities were asked to evaluate a list of expected benefits, in 2005 and again in 2012. Thus, this research explores how local councils perceive that a website will aid in their modernization strategies from an insider point of view; and, additionally, the dynamic nature of the survey helps to understand the evolution of these expectations in light of the environmental changes that have occurred during this time lapse. In general, potential organizational improvements, such as leveraging the development of the municipality, are less anticipated than outward oriented benefits. Our findings also indicate that Spanish municipalities more highly regard the potential benefits of their websites, although some particular perceptions have changed. The most valued advantage in 2005 was that of promoting the municipality, whereas in 2012 simply having online presence was perceived as the most important benefit. Municipal decision-makers may use these results to consider whether or not their websites’ contents and features help to achieve these evolving expectations, and if these tools are aligned with their e-Government strategies.