The challenges of e-gov in times of crisis

Two main reasons spur us to explore the nexus between e-government and economic crisis. The first, more general, is due to the fact that this relationship has been relatively little researched. The second, more pressing reason is the fact that in a time of recession no government can escape the tough new challenges posed by the design and implementation of stimulus packages. The paper discusses the Italian Digital Agenda and argues that the economic crisis, and the consequent shrinking of the public administrations’ resources, spotlights the efficiency issue and also dictates the governance model between the various decisional levels, emphasizing the centralized logic. The study is an early effort to analyze the critical issues most likely determinant in shaping the IS/ICT demand at the macro level, i.e., the public sector as a whole. The experience of previous e-government programs will provide the basis on which to make a preliminary assessment of the growth impact of the Digital Agenda