A conceptual framework for effective appropriation of proactive public e-services

© 2018, Academic Conferences Limited. All rights reserved. In the light of the growing relevance of technology in society, it has become increasingly important to understand how to provide and implement ICT-driven e-services efficiently. The recent years have seen the increase in the importance of proactive e-services within public sector. Their relevance is further expected to grow in the light of the development of artificial intelligence. Moreover, the countries in a network of leading digital governments (Digital 7 – D7) have strategically prioritised developing such services. The concept suggests that proactive e-services are provided by an agency on its own initiative with the presumed will of persons instead of persons having to initiate the service delivery process. However, little has been discussed how to best design and roll out proactive public e-services within society. By analysing and comparing two case studies in the disadvantaged context from Estonia and Australia we were able to gain deeper understanding about the effectiveness in rolling out and providing such services. The knowledge about investigated services was used to design a conceptual reactive-proactive framework for a desired process of proactive e-services appropriation. The reactive-proactive framework allows identifying alternative service management and utilisation routes once a life or a business event occurs. It also provides a conceptual understanding of the requirements for a reactive-proactive service space. Case study and qualitative research, e.g. in-depth interviews, were conducted in order to gain deeper understanding of the disadvantaged context and provide a visual representation of the field. The conducted analysis showed that merely publicising information is not enough to ensure the effective appropriation of such services. Instead, these ought to be supported by integrated infrastructure, such as existing databases and data exchange layers. Additionally, organisations are expected to push out services proactively and automatically. By taking into consideration the results of the research, we were able to create guidelines for introducing proactive e-services. The guidelines will provide practical recommendations for public agencies and decision-makers to aid the future appropriation of proactive e-services.