The Implementation of a Digital Strategy in the Austrian Public Sector

Abstract

The European Commission's eGovernment report states that “eGovernment in Europe is characterized by a “virtuous circle”: public administrations develop better and better digital services because user demand is high; and more and more users access government services online because these services are available and easy to use” [1]. In this report, Austria ranks among the top five in the delivery of public services, high on indicators such as transparency and the key enablers that facilitate digital interactions between governments and users, help to standardize process flows and thus help both citizens and businesses in their dealings with the government. Yet in the most current Digital European Society Index Austria ranks only 10th and is described as being slow in improving the use of digital services, connectivity and integration of digital technology. In this study, we aim to investigate the strategies implemented for the digitalization of services and processes in Austrian public administrations in order to explain such incongruous scores.