Web 2.0: A New Basis for E-Government?

Abstract

Web 2.0 applications gain in importance in today's society and cannot be ignored by the public sector, because they can take the evolution of E-Government in new directions. These developments raise some questions we will try to answer in this paper:ldr What is the context in which E-Government and Web 2.0 can be placed? ldrWhat kind of Web 2.0 applications can be found in the Netherlands and what are the characteristics and functions of these applications? ldr What are the expected opportunities and threats of Web 2.0 for the public sector?) First, we explore the notions of E-Government and Web 2.0 and discuss these concepts in the broader context of two developments that are increasingly being interwoven with each other, namely societal - technological developments and the evolution of a different physical and a new virtual world. We state that the focal point of these two developments is the so-called Second Society. Against this background we present a framework to classify Web 2.0 applications, namely a classification based on distinguishable characteristics (generic versus specific; static versus dynamic; closed versus open and personal versus collective) and the functions that the applications fulfill (sharing of information, mobilisation, meeting, supporting and transactions). Then we will discuss six Dutch examples of Web 2.0 applications and put them in the classification framework. We discuss the opportunities and threats of Web 2.0 to the public sector as well. We conclude our paper by stating that Web 2.0 applications can be seen as a new basis for E-Government. When we consider the investigated Dutch examples we can conclude that Web 2.0 applications have much potential for the public sector in terms of interaction, participation and transparency. However, when we take into account the four developing stages of E-Government (presence, interaction, transaction and transformation), we have to conclude that none of the investigated Dutch examples has transaction or transformation characteristics. So it is still too early to speak about a virtual state. In order to realize these final two stages of E-Government, it is important to take into account the potential risks of Web 2.0 applications (isolation, exclusion, privacy and risks of misuse of information).