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The e-Citizen as talk, as text and as technology: CRM and e-Government

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Paul Richter, James Cornford, Professor Ian McLoughlin

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Abstract

Public service transformation in the UK is being carried out in the name of the citizen and these changes – specifically those labelled as ‘e-Government’ – bring with them the prospect of a significant shift in the nature of the relationship between government and its citizens. Of particular interest is the notion of the e-Citizen, set against a contemporary public management backdrop featuring customer-centric discourses/metaphors, organisational transformation and ICT-intensive ‘private-sector’ business solutions. This paper focuses on a pilot study concerned with exploring the nature and role of socio-technical and discursive factors which may be implicated in the ‘shaping’ of the e-Citizen around the introduction of ‘customer relationship management’ (CRM) systems at a local government level. The research design draws on ‘social shaping of technology’ approaches and emphasises the significance of discursive events in these shaping processes. Preliminary findings suggest that citizen-users of the new face to face access channel within local e-government are being configured primarily as ‘customers’ which we suggest has significant implications for the traditional relationship between individuals and the institutions of government.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Richter P, Cornford JR, McLoughlin IP

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Electronic Journal of e-Government

Year: 2004

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Pages: 207-218

Print publication date: 01/01/2004

Date deposited: 05/12/2007

ISSN (print): 1479-439X

Publisher: Academic Conferences Ltd.

URL: http://www.ejeg.com/volume-2/volume2-issue3/v2-i3-art7.htm


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