The Latitude of Information Management in Local Government: Views of Local Government Managers

This article explores the changing role and latitude of information management in local e-government. Municipalities have implemented information management and e-government for decades, but due to the cultural, political and behavioral reasons these efforts often face problems. This paper seeks to address these limitations by exploring the issues from the perspective of latitude. An empirical study where 137 managers answered questionnaires with open questions and 16 were interviewed was conducted in Finnish municipalities. The overall profile and latitude of information management is yet unstructured and narrow, indicating only supportive operations, as managers have difficulties with the complex domain of information management. The interaction between various stakeholders is also undeveloped. The authors conclude that both strategic integration and a hybrid type of management are required in local e-government. This article provides a framework of information management that can help enhance understanding of the determinants of information management in local governments.