Municipalities, ideology, pragmatism and reality : understanding the determinants for municipal e-service provisions for companies and civilians

Although e-services are relatively new phenomena, some research has been conducted previously, most notably by Jans (2015). Among Dutch municipalities a large variance can be observed. The aim of this paper is to apply theory related to general service provision and innovation in order to explain this observed variance in e-service provision for companies and/or civilians. By drawing data from multiple sources and conducting regression analysis1, the direct effects of center-right parties, business and civic attractiveness, party competition and resources on e-services are investigated. Furthermore, the moderating properties of party competition are considered. The center-right strength only plays a role in civic e-service provision and positively effects civic e service provision. Both business and civic attractiveness positively affect the amount of e-services for both companies and civilians. Party competition is not relevant for the provision of e-services, both as an independent variable and a moderator. The amount of municipal funds plays an important role in the provision of e-services for both companies and civilians.