Technological capacity in the public sector: the case of Estonia
通过爱沙尼亚电子政府案例，提出技术能力概念，分析公共部门技术变革如何影响行政能力，揭示四种反馈与选择机制的作用。
Technology is clearly a critical factor in the lives of organizations, yet there are only a few studies that deal with technology and public organizations. In this article, we propose to understand technological change in the public sector, in particular, how technology influences administrative capacity, through a new concept of technological capacity. We use the case of Estonia – internationally associated with a strong e-state profile – as an exploratory case to answer two research questions: ‘Why and how does technological change take place in the public sector?’ and ‘How does technological change influence administrative capacity in public organizations?’ We demonstrate how dynamic and static change in technological capacities is influenced by four different public sector feedback and selection mechanisms. We conclude that in spite of the neglected position of technology in the public administration literature, technology is an intrinsic factor in how administrative capacity evolves.