Should E-government be Transformational and Participatory? An Essay on E-government in the Utilitarian Mode of Information Technology Use

This paper asserts that e-government works, in principle, in the utilitarian mode of information technology use rather than solidary and participatory modes. Each e-government stakeholder actually uses government Web sites to pursue his/her own material incentives and rarely expects government reform and e-democracy. Senior and executive managers tout transformational and participatory e-government symbolically and ostensibly for their managerial and/or political gain. The notion of transformational e-government is almost rhetoric since e-government simply reflects real government and transformation in government often involves complicate business process reengineering. Technological transformation is neither efficient nor desirable. Given utilitarian stakeholders who are less engaged, e-democracy is almost an illusion. E-participation in the policy processes is limited largely due to the lack of qualified stakeholders who have proper ability, willingness, and resources to use the application effectively. E-government is not transformational, revolutionary, and participatory, but rather instrumental and evolutionary to deliver government information and services online in the utilitarian mode or stakeholders´ focal point.