International assistance relationship to eGovernment development and benchmarking

Purpose - The changes that happen as a result of international interventions in eGovernment initiatives present not only a number of challenges but also an interesting area of study. In this context, this paper analyzes the relationship between eGovernment and international assistance in a group of developing countries. International organisations could have multiple involvements as donors, implementers and evaluators of eGovernment. This leads to complex eGovernment mechanisms and situations, when international assistance is related to public administration reforms. The aim in this paper is also to critically analyze benchmarking as an evaluation tool in international eGovernment assistance. Research approach and design - This is a comparative and longitudinal study of eGovernment development processes in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. In this context, the simple eGovernment strategy- implementation -evaluation cycle is used from a neoinstitutionalist perspective as a framework for the analysis. Quantitative data such as the eGovernment benchmarking index and the amount of international assistance are combined with qualitative information from reports and legal documents to analyze the relationship between international assistance and eGovernment development. Findings - This study shows a positive relationship between international eGovernment assistance and eGovernment development reflected on benchmarking indexes in the event when the same donor (the United Nations in this case), is involved in both processes. The research also suggests that the effect of international assistance on eGovernment is generally positive in less developed countries. The discussion on benchmarking reveals some important issues related to the role of international organisations as both eGovernment assistance donors and performance evaluators. Limitations - The study is focusing on international assistance from only one donor in only one area, that of eGovernment strategy making. A comparison of other factors and actors could contribute to analyze not only the correlation but also the effectiveness of international assistance on eGovernment. A comparative analysis of different eGovernment benchmarking methods and actors could be the subject of future studies related to international eGovernment assistance. Original value - This is an original effort toidentify the relationships that exist between international assistance and eGovernment development. Taking a neoinstitutionalist approach this study shares some theoretical insights on the evolution of internationally assisted eGovernment initiatives and benchmarking into institutions. A converging point between the two is the donorbenchmarker institutional duality. The critical analysis of eGovernment benchmarking is based more on the involvement of actors rather than on its methodology as in many other studies. Finally, this research points out the complexity of internationally assisted eGovernment reforms in developing countries and gives some suggestions for future studies in this field.