Accounting for the contexts of government service transformation: The case of building approvals in Singapore

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend the perspective provided by stage models and examine the wider contexts in which government service transformation occurs. Traditional stage models of e-government have been criticised as being too narrowly focussed suggesting that government services are transformed by information and communications technology (ICT) in a linear manner.

Design/methodology/approach

Government service transformation involves the interplay of a multitude of social and technical factors over time. We propose that an appreciation of the wider institutional, political and economic contexts is necessary and develop a framework of government service transformation in terms of the locus of context and focus of the change initiative. This framework is illustrated with reference to a case study of the transformation of the building approvals process in Singapore over two decades.

Findings

Application of the framework to the case study illustrates that government service transformation is not a linear progression and is influenced by decisions and factors related to both inner and outer contexts.

Research limitations/implications

While bringing institutional theory to extend analyses of service transformation, the reconstruction of events in the case study presented does not provide a rich enough data set for a full analysis of the institutional forces at play.

Practical implications

Managers of e-government initiatives can use the dimensions of the framework to assess their progress, as new technologies emerge and policy priorities change.

Originality/value

The framework presented in the paper provides a complement to existing models for examining e-government transformation and brings a theoretically based perspective to government service transformation which is lacking in existing stage models.

Citation

Letch, N. and Teo, J. (2015), "Accounting for the contexts of government service transformation: The case of building approvals in Singapore", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 352-369. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-08-2014-0035