Learning to read and write is a basic skill that unfortunately not everybody acquires sufficiently. Lack of teachers and time in school are some of the reasons, but in addition the enormous rise in informational activities due to the Internet and other information technology-enabled opportunities has made literacy skills increasingly important to ever more people. This means literacy education must be improved so more children in the world get better chances. In order to contribute to developing better methods for learning to read and write in early years this study tests a new method developed to improve reading and writing learning in early ages. The ICT (Information and communication technologies) supported “Integrated Write to Learn” (iWTR) method lets children in 1st grade use computers and other ICT tools to write texts and subsequently discuss and refine them together with class mates and teachers. Handwriting is postponed to 2nd grade. While the traditional method requires students to go through two development processes in parallel, a cognitive (learning to read and) a motor (learning to write with a pencil), iWTR works with one process at a time, first cognitive development, then (from grade 2) motor skills training. iWTR extends previous WTR methods by more social work methods using a web site and peer comment for providing social meaning and feedback.

The method was tested using two test groups and two control groups (total n = 87) by systematically measuring performance in reading and writing using standard tests in combination with observations and student evaluation to assess social and individual effects of work methods.

The results show that while reading skills were improved considerably the biggest improvement concerned writing skills. Students in the test group wrote longer texts with better structure, clearer content, and a more elaborate language.

Literacy and mathematics are necessary skills that for different reasons unfortunately not everybody acquires sufficiently. In OECD countries there is also a gender gap; boys lag behind girls in literacy but often outperform girls in mathematics (OECD, 2012). ICT (Information and communication technologies) may contribute useful tools to address both these problems but in order to effectively create better educational conditions there is yet a need to develop effective methods that combine ICT with key factors for learning. This research contributes to this by measuring effects of the “Write to Learn” (WTL) method. WTL lets children from 1^st grade use several ICT tools to write texts and subsequently discuss and refine them together with classmates and teachers using digital real-time formative feedback and assessment. The central learning factor addressed, in mathematics as well as in literacy, is the written communication allowing the learners to interact with peers and teachers. WTL draws on methods from socio-cultural theory, including continuous social interaction and written real-time formative feedback among peers, using shared electronic forums for collaboration, thereby providing social meaning and increased learning of literacy and mathematics, among both boys and girls.

The study uses quantitative methods and two control groups, one using traditional method (no ICT) and one using technology individually (without integrated social interaction and formative feedback), to compare results from 502 students in grade 3 national tests in mathematics and literacy. WTL yields by far best results; higher average score both in literacy and mathematics, smaller gender gap, and significantly better results for the under-achievers. The ITU method performs worst, which shows that ICT use must be well integrated into the pedagogy to be useful.

Using digital technology effectively in schools requires profound changes in traditional teaching and learning activities. Pedagogical innovations often start small-scale and developing good ideas into shared practice across schools is challenging in many ways, especially if the innovation requires second-order change, i.e. challenges to fundamental beliefs about teaching and learning. This study investigates how a validated pedagogical method requiring integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use and second-order change can be disseminated and sustained over time. We surveyed 92 primary school teachers who at different times over a 5-year period participated in a training course designed to implement an innovative technology-supported teaching method, Write To Learn, across an entire city. We found that organized teacher development programs can drive second-order change, but this requires considerable, active, and sustained effort from leaders at both school and district level. Additional factors include immediate and extended social systems and handling diversity among teachers. The results are useful for both practitioners and researchers since they contribute to a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges involved in disseminating effective ICT-based methods that requires profound changes of thinking about teaching and learning to guide the transformation of teaching practice.

Digitalizing school is a process that comes with challenges. It requires strategic leadership and transformational change to work processes. Nevertheless, some succeed, and it is useful to understand what makes for success. This paper studies the challenges of leading digitalization of education in a city which decided to implement an IT-supported method for teaching literacy in primary schools. The method required transformational change; teachers not only had to learn to use technologies, they also had to review their pedagogy. This study is guided by the Diffusion of Innovation theory and draws on interviews with school principals. We find that the critical factors relate to the communication channel, the social system within and across schools, and the time perspective.

This paper presents a critical review of research on challenges for e-learning with a particular focus on developing countries. A comprehensive literature review including 60 papers on e-learning challenges was undertaken for the purpose of understanding how to implement e-learning in developing countries. Research questions were: what has existing research identified as the major challenges for e-learning, and, what differences, if any, are there between developing countries and developed countries in this respect? The literature study found 278 papers which were condensed to 60 based on exclusion and inclusion criteria designed to find papers of best quality as well as papers that clearly investigated well-defined challenges. The research found 30 specific challenges which were grouped into four categories, viz.: courses, individuals, technology and context. The overall conclusion is that these challenges are equally valid for both developed and developing countries; however in developing countries more papers focus on access to technology and context whereas in developed countries more papers concern individuals. A further finding is that most papers focus on one or two categories of challenges; few papers exhibit a comprehensive view. Because challenges are interrelated, based on the findings we propose a conceptual framework of emerging issues for e-learning in developed and developing countries. The framework is useful to guide both practice and research.

This paper reports on problems and conflicts encountered when using decision support systems (DSS) in political contexts. Based on a literature study and two case studies we describe problems encountered in relation not only to the DSS itself, but also to the political decision process. The case studies have been carried out in two cities in Sweden that at different times but in similar situations have used DSS in order to reach a decision in complicated and contested matters. In both cases we have previously found that the method and IT tool used for decision analysis were appreciated by most participants, but the inherent rationality of the DSS was in conflict with how participants usually make decisions as well as with the political process. The assumption was that a strict and open method would make grounds for clear decisions, but the results of the decision process were none of the cases implemented. In one case the result of the decision analysis was that no clear decision was made. In the other case the lowest ranked alternative was implemented. Furthermore, in neither city the method was ever used again. We therefore ask: What are the challenges and limitations to using DSS in political contexts? Our study shows that challenges relate to selecting and using criteria; eliciting weights for criteria (high level of subjectivity); understanding all the amount of facts available in the system; time constraints; and lack of impact on the final decision. This study contributes to both research and practice by increasing the understanding of what challenges are experienced in DSS use, since the findings can be used as a framework of challenges that should be addressed, in design of systems as well as method for use. The study also contributes to understanding the role of politicians in decision-making and the consequences for the use of DSS. Further, the literature study showed that there are overall very few studies on the actual use of DSS in a political context, and we therefore conclude by encouraging more studies reporting actual use.

There is a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of using social media in education. Drawing on interviews and surveys with students and teachers in three Swedish schools, this study finds that studentsas well as teachers find much of the students' social media use distractive to learning. We investigate this by means of an interpretative study of students' and teachers' experiences. We find that concerns relate to how social media use makes students less social, how weaker students are more likely to get distracted, how teachers lack strategies for tackling the problem and how the responsibility of the use is delegated to the students. We discuss how the distractive use of social media is made possible as a result of education policies requiring a higher degree of individual work, individual responsibility, and educational choices forstudents. Teachers and school leaders need to jointly reclaim the students and coping strategies for the distractive use are urgently needed.

This research is situated within the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and asks if ICT use can make learning practices change. While constructive learning practices are critical to both individual and societal development, repetitive learning practices are the norm in many developing countries. The study is based on observations and in-depth interviews and uses a structurational approach to understand if and how students views of learning change during an e-learning program in Sri Lanka. We found four constructive learning practices that emerged through technology use; individual exploring, interaction with peers, interaction with teachers, and taking responsibility of the learning. Many constructive learning practices emerged outside the LMS used, in students’ voluntary uses of publicly available resources on the Internet. The study shows that technology use can play a positive role for development, provided an open environment is available; students learn constructive practicesfrom e-learning.

The rapidly increased use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has increased demand for electronic equipment such as mobile phones and computers. Individuals and government institutions worldwide are adopting ICTs at a fast pace. Increased consumption has resulted in huge amounts of e-Waste generated from scrapped electronics. E-Waste contains chemical substances that have adverse effects on the environment and human health. Consequently, handling of e-Waste needs to be organized in ways that minimize the adverse effects. This chapter investigates how the East African Community (EAC) governments, i.e., Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi, conceive their role in combating negative impact of e-Waste and how their views and current actions compare to the current state of the art practices in e-Waste management. As data on e-Waste handling in EAC countries is not publicly available, semi-structured interviews with high government officials and a literature review were conducted. The results show that EAC governments consider e-Waste to be an emerging problem. Despite this awareness and attempts to mitigate the problem in some of the countries, there are currently no solid solutions that have been crafted to rectify or mitigate this problem. The study suggests practical solutions for resolving e-Waste challenges in EAC.

Mobile learning involves use of mobile devices to participate in learning activities. Most elearning activities are available to participants through learning systems such as learning content management systems (LCMS). Due to certain challenges, LCMS are not equally accessible on all mobile devices. This study investigates actual use, perceived usefulness and user experiences of LCMS use on mobile phones at Makerere University in Uganda. The study identifies challenges pertaining to use and discusses how to improve LCMS use on mobile phones. Such solutions are a cornerstone in enabling and improving mobile learning. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions, an online survey designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and LCMS log files of user activities. Data was collected from two courses where Moodle was used as a learning platform. The results indicate positive attitudes towards use of LCMS on phones but also huge challenges whichare content related and technical in nature.

Learning Content management systems (LCMS) are important tools for organizing learning material and communication. Increasingly mobile technologies are used for internet access; particularly important in developing countries where broadband is scarce. Mobile LCMS introduce specific challenges, which are yet not fully addressed. This paper reviews the literature on mobile LCMS for the purpose of identifying current research focus, research gaps, and future research directions regarding how to bridge the gaps and leverage CMS technology to support "mobile learning". The concept matrix method is used to collect and analyze literature. Five prominent research areas are found; Use, access, design and infrastructure; communication and collaboration; engagement and knowledge development; content and service delivery; and implementation experiences and evaluation. A major gap identified is that research does neither clearly nor thoroughly address the intersection between learning and technology. Adjusting technologies to learning contexts and environments is a key area for future research.

This study reports an interpretative case study investigating practices and challenges in an emerging m-learning environment at Makerere University in Uganda. The research was part of the MobiClass pilot project. Data was collected by means of observations and interviews with teachers and various m-learning support staff, including teacher trainers, systems administrators and a software developer. The Framework for Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) is used as an analytic framework. The research focuses on how learning content management systems (LCMS) are implemented and used for m-learning purposes. We observed teacher training and m-learning content development practices and found that teacher skills for developing educational content, institutional m-learning policies and training programs are crucial success factors. The main finding is the importance of the support staff; it takes a long time to implement new technology and change teaching practices, support staff is needed to manage, inspire and support student and teachers.

This study aimed at investigating the user needs, practices, experiences and challenges faced in promoting transparency and accountability using ICT in low-resource communities. The research was conducted on two ICT4D (Information and Communication Technology for Development) initiatives, a call center, and a telecenter supported by two projects; (1) “Promoting Social Accountability In The Health Sector In Northern Uganda”, (2) “Catalyzing Civic Participation And Democracy Monitoring Using ICTs”. The two projects sought to fight corruption by increasing transparency and accountability using ICT to enable “whistle-blowing,” i.e., reporting misconduct in service provision. The projects are based in Uganda and are carried out by Spider (Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions) partner organizations: Transparency International (TI) Uganda and Collaboration International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Using interviews, focus group discussions and observations, the study addressed three research questions: (1) How have the two projects provided citizens a trusted and effective channel for “whistle-blowing”? (2) What are the enabling factors for whistle-blowing through ICT and challenges that affect whistle-blowers and how can the challenges be overcome?

The ICT service-delivery monitoring and reporting methods used by projects include toll free phone calls, blogs, radio talk shows, SMS and e-mail for reaching out; and processes for verification of reports and for communicating reports to government. There are results that indicate these methods are sound enough to serve the purposes of transparency and accountability, and the track record exhibits real change achieved in many instances. ICT users are optimistic and trustful of these ICT methods. Effective whistle-blowing includes efficient and effective reporting processes, convenience in reporting, actual service delivery improvements, availability and privacy, and affordability. There are also a number of challenges, including user education, gender issues, and general issues pertaining to the business model, including economic sustainability and finding the most effective scope of the operations.

This article discusses practices, opportunities and challenges in local eGovernment project management by means of a case study of a Swedish city aiming at completely refocusing services, electronic and other, to become “citizen oriented”, meaning being able to meet the citizens’ needs more effectively. Based on empirical evidence collected by interviews and document studies, the article analyzes the development towards eGovernment and “the 24/7 agency”. Analyzing the case against eGovernment success factors we find seven challenges; political timing, resource allocation, political mandate, distinction between administrative and political responsibilities, coordination of departments, dependence on providers, and wise use of standards.. These challenges are critical because they mean choices important for national eGov development are open for local politics, complicated ad-hoc alliances among cities, and influences of strong individuals and groups. The article analyzes the challenges and finds that this situation is much a consequence of the prevailing strategic model for the public sector, New Public Management (NPM). This model by design leaves these issues in a void which has to be filled by negotiations among many actors with different roles, goals, and action space. The case shows that this makes national strategic eGov development volatile as it is dependent on a large number of local political assemblies; unlike the intention, NPM politicizes eGovernment.

This article discusses practices, opportunities, and challenges in local e-government project management by means of a case study involving interviews, document studies, and an element of action research, over eight months. The analysis against e-government success factors finds seven "critical issues"; political timing, resource allocation, political mandate, distinction between administrative and political responsibilities, coordination of departments, dependence on providers, and use of standards. We found these issues open for local choice, influences of strong individuals and groups, and chance. This is a consequence of the prevailing strategic model for the public sector, New Public Management, which leaves these issues to be filled by negotiations among many actors with different roles, goals, and action space. The general lesson is that there is a need for practical ways of acting strategically to reduce the risk level and increase the ability to implement policy. 

This book presents contemporary European research on eParticipation by means of a 13 chapters each describing a PhD research project as well as analyses of this research. The book both reflects the field and contributes to shaping it by discussing both long-standing and emerging issues. Contributions include three chapters on issues of DEVELOPMENT, including communities of practice, user-centred development, and safety & privacy issues, four chapters on IMPLEMENTATION, including spatial planning, participatory budgeting, and transformation processes, and five chapters on issues of USE, focusing on local government, developing countries, EU, civil society and NGO.

E-Government is now on the rise in developing countries. While developing countries can "leapfrog" technology generations, the necessary organizational change is another matter. In industrialized countries technical systems have been developed over long time in parallel with institutional development; developing countries hope to make that journey faster. Most of the e-Government implementation research focuses on developed countries. It is important to explore the relation between the literature and the findings in the context of developing countries as to come up with a gap to reduce. An interview study with 56 people in 10 government organizations involved in implementing a government-wide enterprise content management system was conducted to find out how critical success factors found in literature on implementation of information management systems relate to the situation in the Rwanda public sector to discover the step forward in Rwanda. We find a large gap between expectations and results due to a strong focus on the technical tool and little concerns about issues related to organizational change.

One-stop e-government holds potential benefits in all contexts and especially in the context of developing countries and in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Implementation of one-stop e-government can be challenging as it normally requires addressing a number of organisational issues including those related to the integration of the individual government information systems of different departments which traditionally function as silos; tackling organisational issues can be difficult due to the nature of the public sector. However, the contemporary literature paints a picture of scarce research on the organisational issues that impede the implementation of one-stop e-government initiatives in LDCs. This paper explores the organisational issues underlying the implementation of ‘one-stop’ e-government initiatives in Rwanda, an LDC. The study explores the status of these elements as of and up to March 2017. The qualitative case study methodology used for this study involved data collection by means of documents and interviews with key managers from central government organisations, from a private company, and from local government service clerks. Template analysis was used as a method for data analysis. Even though the number of online services for citizens, businesses, and other agencies is growing rapidly and easy payment of service fees is available, a number of organisational issues were identified. These include the lack of a clear plan of ‘to-be’ service processes and a corresponding change management strategy. Service re-design was taking place very much ad hoc. There were also unclear systematic organisational learning mechanisms and unclear operational goals in the local government. Addressing these issues would contribute towards improving the implementation of one-stop e-government and its corresponding services in such a context. The paper contributes to research by providing insights into organisational issues in a country currently in an early stage of e-government development. For Rwandan e-government professionals, the paper suggests a way forward. It also helps decision makers in Rwanda and similar countries undertaking one-stop initiatives to understand the problem context of actions taken towards IT-driven institutional reform.

Background: In 2010, newly diagnosed narcolepsy cases among children and adolescents were seen in several European countries as a consequence of comprehensive national vaccination campaigns with Pandemrix against H1N1 influenza. Since then, a large number of people have had to live with narcolepsy and its consequences in daily life, such as effects on school life, social relationships, and activities. Initially, the adverse effects were not well understood and there was uncertainty about whether there would be any financial compensation. The situation remained unresolved until 2016, and during these years affected people sought various ways to join forces to handle the many issues involved, including setting up a social media forum.

Objective: Our aim was to examine how information was shared, and how opinions and beliefs about narcolepsy as a consequence of Pandemrix vaccination were formed through discussions on social media.

Methods: We used quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate a series of messages posted in a social media forum for people affected by narcolepsy after vaccination.

Results: Group activity was high throughout the years 2010 to 2016, with peaks corresponding to major narcolepsy-related events, such as the appearance of the first cases in 2010, the first payment of compensation in 2011, and passage of a law on compensation in July 2016. Unusually, most (462/774, 59.7%) of the group took part in discussions and only 312 of 774 (40.3%) were lurkers (compared with the usual 90% rule of thumb for participation in an online community). The conversation in the group was largely factual and had a civil tone, even though there was a long struggle for the link between the vaccine and narcolepsy to be acknowledged and regarding the compensation issue. Radical, nonscientific views, such as those expounded by the antivaccination movement, did not shape the discussions in the group but were being actively expressed elsewhere on the internet. At the outset of the pandemic, there were 18 active Swedish discussion groups on the topic, but most dissolved quickly and only one Facebook group remained active throughout the period.

Conclusions: The group studied is a good example of social media use for self-help through a difficult situation among people affected by illness and disease. This shows that social media do not by themselves induce trench warfare but, given a good group composition, can provide a necessary forum for managing an emergency situation where health care and government have failed or are mistrusted, and patients have to organize themselves so as to cope.

We present a case study in which a decision support method (ADL) was employed by a local government in order to guide and aid decisions on three complicated and politically infected issues which had remained unresolved for many years. The research inquiry was whether a well-defined and openly accessible method would aid a common understanding of the decision problems, and whether people would be able to accept a clearly motivated decision even if politically they preferred a different option. The ADL method has been used in several public sector projects ranging from very large purchasing decisions to the selection of national policies, but this test case was novel in that it involved close inspection by the public. This case was also devised as a test of new methods for potential inclusion into normal practices. The post-case analysis shows mixed understanding of and belief in the method. The results raise issues concerning both the potential for decision support methods in a political context and the nature of political decision making.

The credibility of research on information system security is challenged by inconsistent results and there is an ongoing discussion about research methodology and its effect on results within the employee non-/compliance to information security policies literature. We add to this discussion by investigating discrepancies between what we cl/aim to measure (theoretical properties of variables) and what we actually measure (respondents’ interpretations of our operationalized variables). The study asks: (1) How well do respondents’ interpretations of variables correspond to their theoretical definitions? (2) What are the characteristics and causes of any discrepancies between variable definitions and respondent interpretations? We report a pilot study including interviews with seven respondents to understand their interpretations of the variable Perceived severity from the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT).

We found that respondents’ interpretations differ substantially from the theoretical definitions which introduces error in measurement. There were not only individual differences in interpretations but also, and more importantly, systematic ones; When questions are not well specified, or do not cover respondents’ practice, respondents make interpretations based on their practice. Our results indicate three types of ambiguities, namely (i) Vagueness in part/s of the measurement item causing inconsistencies in interpretation between respondents, (ii) Envision/Interpret ‘new’ properties not related to the theory, (iii) ‘Misses the mark’ measurements whereby respondents misinterpret the fundamentals of the item. The qualitative method used proved conducive to understanding respondents’ thinking, which is a key to improving research instruments.

Purpose: Research on employee non-/compliance to information security policies suffers from inconsistent results and there is an ongoing discussion about the dominating survey research methodology and its potential effect on these results. This study aims to add to this discussion by investigating discrepancies between what the authors claim to measure (theoretical properties of variables) and what they actually measure (respondents' interpretations of the operationalized variables). This study asks: How well do respondents' interpretations of variables correspond to their theoretical definitions? What are the characteristics of any discrepancies between variable definitions and respondent interpretations?

Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on in-depth interviews with 17 respondents from the Swedish public sector to understand how they interpret questionnaire measurement items operationalizing the variables Perceived Severity from Protection Motivation Theory and Attitude from Theory of Planned Behavior.

Findings: The authors found that respondents' interpretations in many cases differ substantially from the theoretical definitions. Overall, the authors found four principal ways in which respondents interpreted measurement items - referred to as property contextualization, extension, alteration and oscillation - each implying more or less (dis)alignment with the intended theoretical properties of the two variables examined.

Originality/value: The qualitative method used proved vital to better understand respondents' interpretations which, in turn, is key for improving self-reporting measurement instruments. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is a first step toward understanding how precise and uniform definitions of variables' theoretical properties can be operationalized into effective measurement items.

"En dator per elev" är inte ett it-projekt utan ett förändringsprojekt. I den processen är det skolhuvudmännen som har bollen och det gäller för dem att sprida de positiva erfarenheterna till alla skolor. I den här boken pekar vi ut fem utvecklingsområden och diskuterar hur man bör gå tillväga.

eGovernment rankings are increasingly important as they guide countries’ focus of their efforts. Hence indexes must not just measure features of web sites but also accurately indicate underlying government processes. eGovernment rankings are in a process of maturation in that direction, moving from purely measuring web sites to assessing use and government qualities. One such measurement is the UN eParticipation index, intended to measure how well governments connect to their citizens. This paper analyzes the quality of the index by validating it against other indexes of government-citizen relations qualities, democracy, internet filtering, and transparency. Results: The relation between the index and democracy and participation is non-existent. Countries which are authoritarian or obstruct citizen internet use by filtering can score high on eParticipation by window-dressing their webs. We suggest that the eParticipation index includes an element of reality check and propose ways to do that.

This paper reports and analyses a case where a Decision Support System (DSS) was used in a local government for the purpose of arriving at a decision on a complicated and politically infected issue the City Council despite years of effort had failed to sort out. It was assumed that a strict and open method would make the grounds for the decision clearer, and that people would accept a clearly motivated decision even though they personally preferred another solution. The project was also intended as a test of new methods for potential adoption into normal practices. The analysis shows mixed understanding of, and mixed belief in, the method. While generally happy with the project work, also this time the Council failed to make a decision as constituency concerns eventually overruled the rationality of the arguments in the decision making council. The case raises issues of both the potential for DSS in a political context and the nature of political decision making. In particular we conclude that DSS use has to be carefully crafted but swiftly executed, and more than a one-off effort as a change process is involved.

The field of e-democracy has approached the problem of improving democratic decision making by emphasizing encouraging broad participation. This is due to a perceived lack of credibility on part of politicians, indicated by decline in both turnout in elections and recruitment to political parties. Experiences so far show that while in local contexts use of electronic tools in combination with redesigned democratic processes have indeed affected participation positively, both scaling and quality requires more sophisticated technical tools of at least two kinds. One kind, recognized by the e-democracy community, are tools supporting cooperative work for facilitating communication among humans. Another kind, this paper argues, is tools for more formal problem modelling. The e-democracy field has so far almost exclusively been concerned with encouraging and—at best—modelling, moderating, and reviewing discussions. Experiences from e.g. citizen juries point to the importance of expert participation. Decision Support Systems could provide—mediated—expert participation in virtual groups and in communication with the public. To achieve this, there is a need to carefully consider both the usability of Decision Support Systems and their role in the overall democratic system.

This paper reviews the history and current status of electronic identities (eID) and eID management in Sweden, including an outlook for the future. The paper is based on official policy documents, technical documentation, presentations by key experts, and comments from government agencies and independent experts. The future perspective is based on the October 2009 public investigation (SOU 2009:86) by the E-delegation. It is concluded that the E-delegation proposal, while still pending political decision, is a major step forward in terms of making eID more established as an infrastructural element in the government electronic service program

The concepts of electronic government and electronic democracy have common roots in that electronic government must rest on, and support, democratic principles. This article discusses how the components of a democratic society are treated as they are built into the emerging electronic infrastructures, dealing with services and dialogues pertinent to the functioning of the public sector, and tries to find emerging patterns. This article opens a discussion on the nature of the emerging infrastructures by reviewing four implementations of local e-democracy and putting them into the context of global e-government development, in particular the European Union’s development of “eEurope.” It is found that the cases represent different models of democracy, models that are only partially explicit. The development is governed more by gradual implementation of information and communication technology than a general political agenda. This means local actors have great influence, and hence, e-democracy is not deterministic; it can come in many shapes.

The 2017 Swedish national strategy for school digitalization (NDS) assigns the responsibility for digitalization to school management. It requires them to provide the necessary preconditions, means, and resources, for an education built on 'scientific ground and proven experience' and conducive to increased student learning and equivalence. To that end, national resources have been developed to support schools in connecting with research, responsibilities have been distributed strategically across the levels of the management hierarchy, and the School Inspectorate (SI) has developed new evaluation to monitor how principals and school organizers organize and lead a sustainable development work to pursue digitalization in education. The Swedish school is operated by a large number of organizers, public and private, and schools work in disparate environments and under very disparate conditions. Hence, implementation of the new policy across the country requires cooperation among multiple actors. The NDS was operational for years 2017-2022, and a successor for 2023-2027 is proposed but not yet decided. Based mainly on SI reports, this chapter discusses the impact of the new policy on school practice so far and raises some issues regarding the sustainability of the quite comprehensive change the policy envisions.