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Technology Adoption and Innovation in Public Services.The Case of E-Government in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Davide Arduini

    () (University of Urbino ?Carlo Bo?)

  • Federico Belotti

    () (University of Rome ?Tor Vergata?)

  • Mario Denni

    () (Italian Competition Authority (Agcm).)

  • Gerolamo Giungato

    () (Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat))

  • Antonello Zanfei

    () (Dipartimento di Economia e Metodi Quantitativi, Università di Urbino (Italy))

Abstract

Using data on 1,176 Italian municipalities in 2005, this paper discusses a number of factors associated with the development of a particular type of innovative activities, namely e-government services supplied by local public administrations (PAs). We find that municipalities which got involved into e-government are larger, carry out more in-house ICT activities and are more likely to have intra-net infrastructures, relative to PAs that do not offer front office digitalised services. They are also generally located in regions with relatively large shares of firms using or producing ICT, where many other municipalities offer digitalised services, and where concentration of inhabitants in metropolitan areas is not very high. The range and quality of e-government services supplied by local PAs tend to increase with their stock of ICT competencies, with their efforts to train workers, and with their ability to organise efficient interfaces with end-users. Moreover, there is a correlation between the range and quality of e-government services offered and the broadband infrastructure development of the geographic area in which local PAs are located. In more general terms, we show that the combination of internal competencies and context specific factors is different when explaining the decision to start e-government activities vs. the intensity of such activities. Regional factors, relating to both demand and supply of services, appear to affect only the decision to enter e-government activities. Competencies needed to expand and improve the quality of services are much more numerous and complex than the ones associated with the mere decision to start e-government activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Davide Arduini & Federico Belotti & Mario Denni & Gerolamo Giungato & Antonello Zanfei, 2008. "Technology Adoption and Innovation in Public Services.The Case of E-Government in Italy," Working Papers 0804, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2008.
    • Handle: RePEc:urb:wpaper:08_04
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Amel Attour, 2012. "Adoption et modèles de diffusion régionale de l'innovation dans les gouvernements locaux: le cas du développement de l'e-Gouvernement en Lorraine," Working Papers halshs-01062029, HAL.
    2. Djellal, Faridah & Gallouj, Faïz & Miles, Ian, 2013. "Two decades of research on innovation in services: Which place for public services?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 98-117.
    3. Alessandra Cepparulo & Antonello Zanfei, 2015. "La diffusione dei servizi online come indicatore della qualità del settore pubblico," PRISMA Economia - Societ - Lavoro, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(1), pages 20-38.
    4. Amel Attour, 2013. "Adoption et modèles de diffusion régionale de l’innovation dans les gouvernements locaux: le cas du développement de l’e-Gouvernement en Lorraine," GREDEG Working Papers 2013-12, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    5. Faïz Gallouj & Antonello Zanfei, 2013. "Innovation in public services: Filling a gap in the literature," Post-Print halshs-01114107, HAL.
    6. Seri, Paolo & Bianchi, Annaflavia & Matteucci, Nicola, 2014. "Diffusion and usage of public e-services in Europe: An assessment of country level indicators and drivers," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 496-513.
    7. Tor Helge Aas & Nina Jentoft & Mikaela Vasstrøm, 2016. "Managing innovation of care services: An exploration of Norwegian municipalities," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1215762-121, December.
    8. Reggi, Luigi & Arduini, Davide & Biagetti, Marco & Zanfei, Antonello, 2014. "How advanced are Italian regions in terms of public e-services? The construction of a composite indicator to analyze patterns of innovation diffusion in the public sector," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 514-529.
    9. Seri, Paolo & Zanfei, Antonello, 2013. "The co-evolution of ICT, skills and organization in public administrations: Evidence from new European country-level data," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 160-176.
    10. Dag Ingvar Jacobsen, 2018. "Adopting and Refining e-services — the Role of Organization Size," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 111-123, March.
    11. Aurelio Bruzzo, 2016. "Theoretical references for the territorial delimitation of Regions," Argomenti, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics, vol. 3(3), pages 1-26, January-A.
    12. Ada Scupola & Antonello Zanfei, 2014. "The changing organization of innovation in public services.The case of digital library," Working Papers 1411, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2014.
    13. Arduini, Davide & Denni, Mario & Lucchese, Matteo & Nurra, Alessandra & Zanfei, Antonello, 2013. "The role of technology, organization and contextual factors in the development of e-Government services: An empirical analysis on Italian Local Public Administrations," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 177-189.
    14. Harald Gruber, 2016. "Industrial policy options for sustaining growth in Italy," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 43(3), pages 281-289, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation system; Dynamic capabilities; Technology adoption; Electronic government; Innovation in services; Two-part model.;

    JEL classification:

    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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