A framework to evaluate the Italian strategic path towards eGovernment

In the last few years governments are trying to build up the so called “Information Society” (Anttiroiko 2001), a society able to manage information making wide use of the most innovative ICT. This would lead implementing the eGovernment, here defined as “a public organization that make extensive use of ICT”. Also Italy, like the other main European countries, has carried out high investments in this direction, realizing innovative technological solutions within Central and Local Public Authority (CPA and LPA). These solutions have had not only a positive return in terms of easiness, flexibility, speed and security of the operations, but also a wide international echo, as showed from awards and acknowledgements received in terms of “best practice”. This paper analyses the strategic path that has been followed by the Italian Public Authority implementing eGovernment; through this analysis it points out a framework to represent all the strategic elements and relationships conceived to yield the objectives of the eGovernment strategy. This framework will be also used to evaluate the Italian LPAs path towards eGovernment: the overall PA initiatives and policies will be classified according with the strategic framework. This will constitutes the basis through which the main eGovernment obstacles and solutions will be identified.