Control, De-politicization and the eState

Abstract

Using an extensive case analysis of the Bhoomi system of India, this paper examines the role and nature of the state with regards to the rationale for and deployment of e-government systems. Issues such as the nature of control in governance, the discourse of de-politicization in justifying e-government and the reinvention of the state via electronic means are examined. Analysis of data collected over several years shows that e-government systems are primarily used to centralize control in the hands of the upper echelons of the bureaucracy, a strong discourse of technology and ‘high modernism’ permeates the justification for deploying e-government and this effectively de-politicizes the intent and purpose of the project. The paper concludes that through e-government the state reinvents itself, as the e-State, as a powerful, centralized force that disrupts historical practices and relations.