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An empirical study of the role of e-government benchmarking in China

Schlæger, Jesper LU (2016) In Information Polity 21(4). p.383-397
Abstract

The topic of this paper is the role of benchmarking in Chinese e-government. Through content analysis of documentary material, this paper addresses the following questions: Which benchmarking schemes have been applied to e-government in China? What are the intentions behind the different benchmarking schemes? and Whose interests are served? Whereas previous research finds that benchmarking addresses mainly the front office of e-government (websites), this paper finds that organizational indicators are also used. Benchmarking efforts now increasingly address the back office, and basic benchmarking schemes have become institutionalized into a census. Benchmarking reinforces the interests of the central government and communicates the... (More)

The topic of this paper is the role of benchmarking in Chinese e-government. Through content analysis of documentary material, this paper addresses the following questions: Which benchmarking schemes have been applied to e-government in China? What are the intentions behind the different benchmarking schemes? and Whose interests are served? Whereas previous research finds that benchmarking addresses mainly the front office of e-government (websites), this paper finds that organizational indicators are also used. Benchmarking efforts now increasingly address the back office, and basic benchmarking schemes have become institutionalized into a census. Benchmarking reinforces the interests of the central government and communicates the values of the Communist Party to the fragmented bureaucracy. In this way, benchmarking is used as an integrative mechanism that centralizes governance while maintaining adaptive capacity at the local level.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
benchmarking, China, E-government, fragmented authoritarianism, internet, performance management
in
Information Polity
volume
21
issue
4
pages
15 pages
publisher
IOS Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85008693375
ISSN
1570-1255
DOI
10.3233/IP-160399
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a69dcd8e-343b-4dee-9aae-0f040e4a73c7
date added to LUP
2017-04-25 09:34:45
date last changed
2022-03-01 21:28:00
@article{a69dcd8e-343b-4dee-9aae-0f040e4a73c7,
  abstract     = {{<p>The topic of this paper is the role of benchmarking in Chinese e-government. Through content analysis of documentary material, this paper addresses the following questions: Which benchmarking schemes have been applied to e-government in China? What are the intentions behind the different benchmarking schemes? and Whose interests are served? Whereas previous research finds that benchmarking addresses mainly the front office of e-government (websites), this paper finds that organizational indicators are also used. Benchmarking efforts now increasingly address the back office, and basic benchmarking schemes have become institutionalized into a census. Benchmarking reinforces the interests of the central government and communicates the values of the Communist Party to the fragmented bureaucracy. In this way, benchmarking is used as an integrative mechanism that centralizes governance while maintaining adaptive capacity at the local level.</p>}},
  author       = {{Schlæger, Jesper}},
  issn         = {{1570-1255}},
  keywords     = {{benchmarking; China; E-government; fragmented authoritarianism; internet; performance management}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{383--397}},
  publisher    = {{IOS Press}},
  series       = {{Information Polity}},
  title        = {{An empirical study of the role of e-government benchmarking in China}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/IP-160399}},
  doi          = {{10.3233/IP-160399}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}