Moving towards maturity: Challenges to successful e-government implementation and diffusion

The implementation, diffusion and adoption of egovernment in the public sector has been a topic that has been debated by the research community for some time. In particular, the limited adoption of egovernment services is attributed to factors such as the heterogeneity of users, lack of user-orientation, the limited transformation of public sector and the mismatch between expectations and supply. In this editorial, we review theories and factors impacting implementation, diffusion and adoption of egovernment. Most theories used in prior research follow mainstream information systems concepts, which can be criticized for not taking into account egovernment specific characteristics. The authors argue that there is a need for e-government specific theories and methodologies that address the idiosyncratic nature of e-government as the wellknown information systems concepts that are primarily developed for business contexts are not equipped to encapsulate the complexities surrounding e-government. Aspects like accountability, digital divide, legislation, public governance, institutional complexity and citizens' needs are challenging issues that have to be taken into account in e-government theory and practices. As such, in this editorial we argue that e-government should develop as an own strand of research, while information systems theories and concepts should not be neglected.