Local e-government benchmarking: limitations of comparative evaluation methods

Abstract

We present the need to evaluate and compare the development of e-government, and review benchmarking tools and practices. First we discuss the stages of e-government models that are currently in use and discuss the main characteristics and applications. The different e-government benchmarking approaches are analysed, pointing out that e-administration is the more benchmarked e-government area. A more in-depth analysis of the most relevant benchmarks is performed. Both  analyses reveal several limitations of existing studies with respect to applicability to local administration. These include the scarcity of studies focused on this area, the extent of adoption of public services and the use of models of evolution of egovernment that do not reflect the new trends in the provision of services. Finally we point out improvements to be made in future benchmarking of electronic services to increase their applicability in the field of local administration.