2021 Annual Conference of the European Group for Public Administration

EGPA Permanent Study Group I on e-Government

The 2021 Annual Conference of the European Group for Public Administration will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from the 7th to the 10th of September 2021. The Conference is being organised by the EGPA/IIAS Secretariat in close cooperation with key partners. For this conference, the Permanent Study Group on e-Government requests: (1) abstracts for papers relating to the themed session of e- Government and inclusion; (2) abstracts for papers for the joint session on e-Government and public sector performance; and (3) abstracts for the general sessions drawing on current research which is relevant to the interests of this Permanent Study Group.

1. Themed Session: e-Government and Inclusion

For the thematic session of this Study Group, we are interested in papers that explore the relationship between e-Government and inclusion, however defined. New technological developments in the public sector, such as Big Data, AI and Smart Cities, may pose new challenges to the societal inclusion of individuals and different groups of citizens. Whilst e-Government is often heralded as providing opportunities for access, in that such services are often available 24/7 and over large geographic areas, they may not be accessible to all, with ongoing concerns about the so-called ‘digital divide’. Further to this, the use of algorithms and automated decision-making may lead to bias, discrimination and the enhanced surveillance of specific groups in society. Whilst these technological developments may facilitate unforeseen and undesirable consequences they also, simultaneously, bring new opportunities and benefits. For example, citizens might be able to make more informed decisions about the value of services and political decisions based on the availability of open government data, or they may benefit from more efficient resource use arising from the adoption of a new e-Service. Problems associated with inclusion, exclusion and discrimination are high on political and societal agendas, but our academic understanding of implications and impacts of the relationship between e- Government and inclusion are still not fully understood. Therefore, we invite researchers to submit abstracts for theoretical and/or empirically oriented papers that may address any of the following issues:

• State-of-the-art academic thinking about e-Government and inclusion/exclusion of individuals and different groups in society;
• Case studies of the impact of e-Government on inclusion/exclusion of individuals and different groups in society;
• Theoretical and practical explorations of the different types of inclusion and hoe the relate to e-Government;
• Critical analysis of the relations between e-Government and inclusion/exclusion;
• Historical accounts of e-Government measures to tackle inclusion;
• Mechanisms and measures for assessing e-Government impacts on inclusion/exclusion;
• Theoretical and empirical analyses of approaches to e-Government that enhance inclusion; and
• The extent to which e-Government produces forms of exclusion and discrimination.

For the themed session of the Study Group we are looking for theoretical, empirical and critical papers exploring aspects of e-Government and inclusion/exclusion. Our intention is to publish the papers as a special issue of the journal Information Polity.

2. Joint Session on e-Government and Public Sector Performance

Permanent Study Group I on e-Government and Permanent Study Group II on Public Sector Performance and its Future Challenges (formerly Performance and Accountability in the Public Sector) have agreed to organize a joint session at EGPA 2021 on the intersection between e- Government and public performance.

This joint session will explore, how the rise of new digital technologies has offers new solutions to traditional public performance challenges, but at the same time generated new issues, concerns and questions. For example, how do digital services contribute to client satisfaction? Does Big Data create more insight or confusion about the performance of government? Can algorithms contribute to the effectiveness of government decision-making processes? Does e- Government enable or impede the scope for professionalism in public services?

Here, the intention is to facilitate a broad discussion about the presumed contribution of the use of new technologies in government organizations to the ‘performance’ of the public sector. We invite researchers to submit both theoretical and empirical papers on this theme. Papers can address any of the following issues:

• State-of-the-art academic thinking and literature reviews of e-Government and public sector performance;
• Case studies of the impact and consequences of e-Government on public sector performance;
• Innovative research designs experimenting with digital technologies and public sector performance;
• Critical analysis of the relationship between e-Government and public sector performance;
• An assessment of the e-Government performance paradox; and
• Measures of public sector performance relating to e-Government.

Selected papers will be discussed in a joint session of the two Permanent Study Groups at EGPA 2021. We will work towards a joint publication, such as a special issue of the journal Information Polity (or similar), integrating insights from both experts in e-Government and public sector performance.

3. General Sessions: Papers on e-Government

For those who may be new to the Study Group, please note that it is not necessary to address the themes set out above in your submission. This Permanent Study Group is a podium for broad discussion about e-Government with a specific interest on the administrative, political and organizational aspects of service delivery, as well as information flows in and around government, public services and policy. Papers on other topics in the broad area of e-Government, ICT in public administration and e-democracy are very welcome. In recent years, papers have been presented on a diverse range of topics, including: smart cities, big data, governance and regulation, privacy and surveillance, social media, accountability and trust, public policy, and national and international policy and practice around e-government, etc. We are also keen to encourage papers which explore innovate methods in the study of e-Government and those that set out and assess novel technological applications.

Publication of Papers

We aim to publish a collection of papers, around the theme of e-Government and inclusion, as a special issue of the journal Information Polity. Papers not relating to this theme may also be published in Information Polity, as well as in other academic journals such as the Electronic Journal of e- Government and in the International Review of Administrative Sciences. Subject to editorial and peer review, the best paper from the conference will be fast-tracked for publication in Information Polity.
Further Information

Up to date information on the Study Group, as it becomes available, will be mailed to you directly. The conference website can be found at: URL: https://www.conftool.org/egpa-conference2021

Submissions should preferably be uploaded directly to the EGPA site, but if you are having problems with the EGPA site you can mail your abstract directly to either of the Study Group Co-Directors below. As in previous years, we will try to organise our time so as to maximize opportunities to reflect on and discuss papers in depth. The EGPA Study Group on e-Government is dedicated to providing the strongest possible discussion forum for both established and new scholars in this field, and to give a good opportunity for scholars to present new ideas and have those ideas discussed and debated by their peers.

Acceptance

This call is for abstracts. In keeping with the aims of the Study Group, the co-Chairs will be looking for a number of key features in the proposed papers. These features are as follows:

• Abstracts should have a succinct and relevant title
• Abstracts should include author affiliations and contact details;
• Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words in length;
• Abstracts should be submitted in Microsoft Word, PDF or RTF formats;
• Abstracts should cover the main line of argument to be explored in the full paper;
• Abstracts should show evidence of innovative and creative thinking which is well grounded in theory or well argued;
• Abstracts should indicate whether the proposed paper is theoretical and/or empirical in orientation;
• Abstracts should relate the proposed paper to contemporary discourse in e-Government.

In all cases, there should be evidence that the proposed paper emerges from contemporary debates within the sphere of public administration and e-Government, broadly defined.

Practicalities

Important dates:

• Deadline for submission of Abstracts: April 30, 2021
• Deadline for notification to the authors: no later than May 25, 2021
• Deadline for online submission of full papers: August 10, 2021
• EGPA 2021 Conference: September 7-10, 2021

EGPA 2021 Conference Website: https://www.egpa-conference2021.org/
EGPA 2021 Conference Management System: https://www.conftool.org/egpa-conference2021

Papers should have a maximum length of approximately 8,000 words and should be submitted in PDF, Microsoft Word or RTF format. We will be asking some lucky participants to act as discussants for each of the presented papers. Discussants provide a further stimulus to valuable discussion on each of the papers presented. Please note that we are keen to encourage new and existing scholars in the field to contribute to the Study Group. The group is open to new members and we would ask senior members of the group to encourage younger colleagues and PhD students to consider submitting abstracts.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding the conference and/or the Permanent Study Group. We look forward to hearing from you.

Co-chairs of Permanent Study Group I
Albert Meijer
Utrecht University
The Netherlands
E-mail : a.j.meijer@uu.nl

William Webster
University of Stirling
United Kingdom
E-mail : william.webster@stir.ac.uk