Europeanization of eGovernment policy. Institutional mechanisms and implications for public sector innovation

Abstract

Do European Union (EU) institutions shape national eGovernment policies and strategies? Is there a process of eGovernment Europeanization in operation? If so, what are the most relevant Europeanization mechanisms within this policy field? How do they work in institutional terms and what are their implications for public sector innovation? These are some of the key questions this paper addresses. To date, national eGovernment strategies and policies have to some extent been shaped by European institutions; this study tackles this phenomenon and seeks to provide some conclusions from the point of view of public policy innovation. In so doing, it concentrates on two different theoretical sources: Europeanization and new institutionalism. This paper also analyzes the most relevant mechanisms deployed by EU institutions to frame national policies, strategies, norms, ideas, and actions in the field of eGovernment using, above all, the open method of coordination (OMC)(benchmarking, good practice exchange, etc.). The results of this paper shed light on various aspects of this European frame, and how specific instruments operate, by addressing domestic administrative systems and arrangements. Institutional theory facilitates the understanding of this type of policy-learning processes and debates, constraints and drivers for policy innovation derived form European institutions, as well as problems concerning potential applications of the OMC as a common framework for working across European policy areas.