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JGITM 2009 12.2 Article 3

Price: $14.95
Prod. Code: JG2009-12.2Art3

E-Government and the Influence of Power in the Development of Information Infrastructure
 
Leila L. Humes, and Nicolau Reinhard
 
Information infrastructures are important for implementing e-government solutions for enterprise activities and for society in general, thus being essential for global IT solutions. Few studies have been published on this theme, espite its importance. Infrastructure evelopment can be affected by many organizational and cultural aspects. This study analyses the development of an information infrastructure with special attention to the influence of power. This infrastructure was implemented by the State of São Paulo in Brazil, its first attempt ever at e-government implementation. The infrastructure’s institutionalization and further development was influenced by powerful or empowered agents that used it as a controlling or empowering tool. Hanseth´s infrastructure theory is the theoretical basis employed to study the process, complemented with an adaptation of the circuits of power framework that was used to study the effects of power upon this infrastructure’s development. The study is aimed at expanding Hanseth´s infrastructure theory by showing that certain organizational, social and cultural aspects can affect information infrastructure development, and also complementing his theory by unveiling the role of power in information infrastructure development.