Explaining Internet service quality in social security agencies using institutional theory

This paper tries to apply institutional theory to the analysis of Internet-based social security services. I argue that institutional features of service providers matter significantly in the quality of websites. Diverse quality of websites in turn, is a crucial factor in explaining what causes different take-up rates of e-services. The article tests the relevance of empirical and normative accounts of institutional theory to explanation of the quality of public e-services. The websites of five institutions, which provide social insurance in Estonia, serve as the empirical base for the research. Results indicate that the extent of power (de)concentration is a more crucial variable in having citizen-oriented websites than the policy content or public-private ownership.