Aligning E-Government with Stakeholders: From Stakeholder Categorisations to E-Government Public Service Provision

Successful e-government initiatives depend on the alignment of the objectives of public services with its stakeholders. While stakeholder engagement is widely acknowledged to be essential for developing e-government services, debates persist around the definition and categorisation of stakeholders within e-government contexts. This article critically examines how stakeholder categorisations can help e-government public services to be user-centric. However, the study also highlights the complexity of involving different stakeholders in e-government, particularly those with varying levels of interest or influence, the difficulties inherent in building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, unequal power dynamics, inadequate legislation and political structure, lack of time and willingness throughout the public service cycle. The findings from a systematic literature review are synthesised into a framework and reveal the relevance of more targeted and context-sensitive approaches to stakeholder categorisations, linking them to different engagement methods and challenges to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of user-centric public services.