ABSTRACT
Governments that wish to become citizen-centric face a challenge to deliver costeffective, personalised and relevant E-Services that simultaneously enhance democratic dialogue. Over 24 months, for the European Commission E-Government Unit, the authors assessed the ways in which organisations are changing to deliver E-Government services. They found that a simple focus on the organisation was not sufficient. It is the way in which the organisation mediates a critical relationship between government and citizen that matters. They observed a complex interplay of issues, and in this chapter they focus on actions which, in combination, can help deliver public value where citizen-centric E-Government services are created to deliver increasingly cost-effective, personalised and relevant services to citizens. They can serve to enhance the democratic relationship and build better democratic dialogue between citizens and their government, which in turn enhances the practice of citizenship within society. The research findings are presented under a series of themes: ensuring access; making the front office fully customer-focused; achieving a lighter and smarter back office; understanding your customers – building relationships; becoming a flexible and stable organisation; and learning beyond the organisation.
