E-government and moral citizenship: the case of Estonia |
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Authors: | Fredrika Björklund |
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Institution: | 1. School of Social Sciences, S?dert?rns h?gskola, Huddinge, Swedenfredrika.bjorklund@sh.se |
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Abstract: | The present article concerns Estonian e-government, that is, the digitalization of government and public administration, and the way e-government produces a moral citizen. Although several case studies on e-government exist, they have seldom been sensitive to the local conditions shaping the functions and social meaning of digitalization. E-government involves producing knowledge, and the present article draws on a theoretical perspective that stresses the tight relationship between knowledge and power. In Estonia, the power–knowledge regime is characterized by centralization. Centralization is the condition for a firm national e-government policy, and within this policy, an image of the unique Estonian citizenry is produced. The Estonian moral citizen who emerges out of e-government is de-politicized and detached from a social context, on the one hand, and strongly politicized and attached to a specific ethno-national community, on the other. |
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Keywords: | Moral citizenship power–knowledge regime Estonia e-government post-communist conditions |
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