Sustainable eGovernance? Practices, problems and beliefs about the future in Swedish eGov practice

The use of ICTs in the public sector, eGovernance, is understood as a complex phenomenon intricately embedded in a continuously changing environment, including multiple actors with disparate interests. A need for research that takes this complexity into account has been identified, and previous research has suggested employing a sustainability perspective. The use of the sustainability concept in the eGovernance context is an emerging area without a common focus or use of the concept. There is a lack of research with a thorough basis in sustainability theory, and a need for empirical research focusing on sustainable eGovernance. In order to respond to this need the research question of this paper is, How can current eGovernance practice be interpreted from a sustainability perspective? A case study is performed in the context of Swedish eGovernance practice, at national and municipal level. Interviews are used to investigate practitioners' views, which are analyzed by using a framework, developed based on eGovernance literature that highlights sustainability. We find that sustainability in eGovernance practice in this case revolve to a large extent around how actors struggle with achieving continuity and implementing a holistic view of the use of ICT in the public sector. We also highlight the issue of trade-offs between different sustainability dimensions.