A Theoretical Framework for the Innovation Ecosystem of E-Government: A Grounded Theory Approach

According to the overarching paradigm of New Public Governance, the development of e-government requires innovative collaboration, with the innovation ecosystem serving as one of its most prominent examples. This study adopts a structural approach, leveraging the ecosystem metaphor to propose a theoretical framework for the innovation ecosystem of e-government. The research methodology is grounded in the grounded theory approach. To validate the constructs of the proposed framework, selected high-level policy documents of Iran were analyzed using a deductive approach. Based on the content analysis of 23 selected articles from an initial pool of 1,596 sources, the constructs of the proposed framework for the e-government innovation ecosystem were identified and categorized into three main components: actors, platforms, and active citizens, each comprising specific subcomponents. The proposed framework, by identifying and categorizing the various dimensions of the e-government innovation ecosystem, helps innovation managers and policymakers consider the capabilities of actors and the dynamics of the environment in governance. This enables them to optimally harmonize and promote innovative development in e-government.