Institutions in digital government transformation: Do different administrative cultures affect e- government?

In times of rapid change and increased demand for digitization of government services, the theoretical endeavour of understanding e-government implementation is more relevant than ever. In particular, among the debates in the literature, one determinant force that is yet to gather enough attention is administrative culture, and the administrative dynamics which ultimately constrain and shape the behaviour on the provider side of e-services. In this context, the present thesis focuses on understanding how administrative culture may affect e-government implementation, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern European countries. Four key dimensions of influence are identified: bureaucratic culture, normative culture, professionalism, and shared attitudes and vision. Through a comparative case study of Slovenia and Estonia, the present thesis evaluates which dimensions of administrative culture may be deemed relevant to explain e-government implementation, further contributing to the literature of Public Management, while at the same time showing that CEE present heterogeneity in their administrative culture and post-communist transition.