eGovernment in Malta : the case of the northern region local councils

Abstract

Most studies analysing and benchmarking eGovornment development have focused on national governments as their unit of study, were literature shows that eGovernment initiatives have not held their promise of improving government services, especially at local level. This study utilizes a serious of quantitative interviews to assess the status of local eGovernment in the northern region of Malta; respondents were executive secretaries and clerks employed at Local Councils in the region. Results show that Local Councils' websites in the region lack sophistication and are rather basic, especially in smaller local councils, who reported financial and human recourses problems. Despite this websites are considered as user friendly. Respondents identified the 'working age population' as the dominant stakeholder in eGovernment uptake, while they considered that the digital divide has a significant impact on the uptake of eservices. Respondents were also to identify; the e-services mostly used by the citizens and the ones mostly used by them. Results were also compared with E.U. and U.N benchmarks.