The boundaries of information sharing and integration: A case study of Taiwan e-Government

doi:10.1016/j.giq.2011.08.014

Government Information Quarterly

Volume 29, Supplement 1, January 2012, Pages S51-S60

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2011.08.014 Get rights and content

Abstract

The paper explores boundaries of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in the context of Taiwan e-Government by using an integrated framework of boundaries adopted from the literature. The discussion of the various boundaries provides a thorough lens to understand the complexity of cross-boundary information sharing and integration. The adopted framework of boundaries is proved to be a useful analytical tool to perceive various vertical and horizontal boundaries in initiatives of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in different e-Government contexts. A new process boundary in the vertical dimension is also identified. In addition, the case shows that centralized information systems can help government agencies to cross the boundaries of information sharing and reduce the number of boundaries government agencies may encounter. Lastly, it is perceived that vertical boundaries are not always easier to cross than horizontal boundaries.

Highlights

► Five boundaries are identified in the vertical dimension. ► Six boundaries are identified in the horizontal dimension. ► Centralized information systems to cross and alleviate boundaries. ► Vertical boundaries are not always easier to cross.

Introduction

Electronic government (e-Government) has been an important strategy for attaining effectiveness and efficiency in government administrations and public services (Dawes, 2008, Dawes, 2009, Gil-Garcia et al., 2007, Pardo and Tayi, 2007). Researchers define e-Government as the delivery of government services (information, interaction, and transaction) through the use of information and communication technologies to improve daily business, reduce expenses, and increase the quality of services (Bekkers, 2007, Gil-Garcia and Martinez-Moyano, 2007, Moon, 2002). During e-Government development, cross-boundary information sharing and integration is important when critical information for running government operations are usually scattered around government agencies maintaining respective information systems. The demand for cross-boundary information sharing and integration exists not only across different levels of government agencies (the vertical dimension) but also among government agencies with different functionalities (the horizontal dimension) (Gil-Garcia and Martinez-Moyano, 2007, Klievink and Janssen, 2008, Klievink and Janssen, 2009, Layne and Lee, 2001, Schooley and Horan, 2007, Siau and Long, 2005). The scope of cross-boundary information sharing and integration also varies in terms of involving national contexts and levels of government while e-Government develops among local, state, and national governments (Gil-Garcia & Martinez-Moyano, 2007). With cross-boundary information sharing and integration, more effective actions can be applied to solve complex problems, and electronic data can be easier to duplicate and manipulate. Hence, cost is reduced, efficiency is accomplished, and government agencies can act faster to identify problems and react with prompt responsiveness (Gil-Garcia et al., 2009, Landsbergen and Wolken, 2001, Luna-Reyes et al., 2007).

Nevertheless, government organizations have different levels, functionalities, goals, values, and cultures, and thus cross-boundary information sharing and integration can become a complex task. In the literature, Gil-Garcia, Pardo, and Burke (2010) provide preliminary definitions of four components of cross-boundary information sharing and integration. The proposed four components are trusted social networks, shared information, integrated data, and interoperable technical infrastructure, which cover both technical and social aspects. In addition, the literature also discusses various barriers and enablers of cross-boundary information sharing and integration from different perspectives including technological, organizational, sociological, ideological, and political contexts in order to comprehend the complexity of cross-boundary information sharing and integration (Dawes, 1996, Dawes et al., 2009, Fedorowicz et al., 2007, Gil-Garcia and Pardo, 2005, Gil-Garcia et al., 2007, Gil-Garcia et al., 2009, Harrison et al., 2007, Pardo and Tayi, 2007, Schooley and Horan, 2007, Yang and Maxwell, 2011, Zhang and Dawes, 2006, Zheng et al., 2008).

Section snippets

What are the boundaries?

However, what are the “boundaries” in cross-boundary information sharing and integration? In existing concepts such as working environment, organizational task, and relations with others, boundaries can be described as discontinuities, representing the incoherence and gaps between two entities (Espinosa et al., 2003, Zheng et al., 2009). Regarding the definition of boundary in the context of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in the public sector, current literature has mainly

Research design and method

This study adopts a case study method to extend the framework in literature to a different context. In particular, a case of the e-Networking Project of Government Online Service in Taiwan is studied in the research. This project was a sub-plan of the Challenge 2008—Taiwan National Development Plan proposed by the Cabinet of Taiwan in 2002, and the duration of the project was from 2002 to 2007. The research explores the case through both the vertical and horizontal networks in the context of

Case study

Taiwan has started developing its e-Government since 1997. In the past decade, Taiwan e-Government has focused effort on developing initiatives of cross-boundary information sharing and integration. The case of interest in the study, the e-Networking Project of Government Online Service, was started as a follow-up project to continue promoting cross-boundary information sharing and integration when information systems were built across the government agencies of Taiwan.

The goal of the project

The findings

Different boundaries of cross-boundary information sharing and integration identified in the case study are presented and illustrated from both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. In addition, centralized information systems utilized in the both dimensions are observed to help government agencies to cross boundaries and reduce the number of boundaries government agencies may encounter.

The framework of boundaries is generalizable

By using Zheng et al.'s (2009) framework of boundaries, boundaries of information sharing and integration in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions are discussed and illustrated in the previous sections. In this case study, five boundaries are identified in the vertical dimension, and they are hierarchical boundary, process boundary, geographic boundary, development level boundary, and personal boundary (see Fig. 7). The four boundaries in the vertical dimension of Zheng et al.'s framework

Conclusion

In sum, a government agency commonly has to deal with different government agencies to have cross-boundary information sharing to run its operations or to make its operations more efficient in innovative ways. A government agency inevitably encounters different vertical and horizontal boundaries simultaneously, and the boundaries also interact with each other. The more boundaries a government agency has to cross in an information-sharing initiative, the more influential factors surrounding the

Acknowledgment

The authors want to thank Dr. Yu-Hsieh Sung, the Deputy Minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission and other government officials of the Taiwan government for their important help during the interviewee recruitment of the research. The authors are also thankful to all the interviewees who participated in the research for their time, patience, and valuable information and suggestions.

Tung-Mou Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Library and Information Science at National Taiwan University, Taiwan. Tung-Mou Yang received his Ph.D. in Information Science from the University at Albany, SUNY, in 2011. His research interests include e-Government, cross-boundary information sharing, information management, and information systems. He is also interested in digital divide and other information-related sociotechnical systems.

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Lei Zheng is an Assistant Professor in the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University, China. Lei Zheng received his Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY, in 2009. His research focuses on cross-boundary information sharing, transnational information collaboration, government information disclosure, and comparative digital government research.

Theresa A. Pardo is Director of the Center for Technology in Government located at the University at Albany, SUNY. She is also a faculty member in Public Administration and Policy and Informatics at the University. Theresa has directed numerous applied research projects with government partners and written articles, research reports, book chapters and case studies focusing on IT innovation in government, cross-boundary information sharing and integration, trust and knowledge sharing, preservation of government digital records, and XML.

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The boundaries of information sharing and integration: A case study of Taiwan e-Government

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Section snippets

What are the boundaries?

Research design and method

Case study

The findings

The framework of boundaries is generalizable

Conclusion

Acknowledgment

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Government Information Quarterly

Geographic information sharing: A regional approach in northern New Jersey, USA

Information Polity: The International Journal of Government & Democracy in the Information Age

The governance of back-office integration—Organizing co-operation between information domains

Public Management Review

Knowledge management as a framework for understanding public sector outsourcing

A dynamic theory of expertise and occupational boundaries in new technology implementation: Building on Barley's study of CT scanning

Administrative Science Quarterly

Interpersonal and interaction influences on informal resource exchanges between R&D researchers across organizational boundaries

Academy of Management Journal

Social research methods

Transferring, translating, and transforming: An integrative framework for managing knowledge across boundaries

Organization Science

E-Government implementation: A macro analysis of Singapore's e-Government initiatives

Government Information Quarterly

Interagency information sharing: Expected benefits, manageable risks

Journal of Policy Analysis and Management