ICT as a Buffer to Change: A Case Study of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Dasan Call Center

Improved external accountability and organizational learning are logical corollaries of the increasing governmental use of information and communications technology (ICT) to expand and diversify citizen interaction. This article assesses whether the use of sophisticated ICT in Seoul, Korea, to spur citizen interaction has increased government competitiveness (i.e., accountability and efficiency). The analysis is based on a case study of Seoul's Dasan Call Center ICT project and interviews with call center managers and government officials. The findings suggest that the call center, and more generally the use of ICT by the city, buffers municipal administrative processes from external accountability and organizational learning, implying that government ICT use can serve as an agent of the status quo rather than change.