Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 25th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview II. e-Government Author(s) Tamas Laposa Ludovika University of Public Service Budapest Hungary Title The Digital Transformation of EU-Cohesion Policy - How to Measure the Maturity of E-Cohesion Services - File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract Abstract This paper focuses on the maturity of e-government services on the domain of European fund management to explore the measurability of potential efficiency gains. The practical relevance of the topic is that the current European legislation prescribes that Member States shall transform their fund management procedures and offer electronic services to beneficiaries to foment the efficient use European Structural and Investment Funds. The main driver of this innovative concept is the reduction of administrative burdens which can be achieved by the Europe-wide utilization of paperless fund management tools. In the scientific discourse, the above concept is labelled as “e-Cohesion”. However, this innovative transformation is driven by European legislation, the e-Cohesion landscape and the intended efficiency gains may appreciably differ from country to country. The exploration of this “digital efficiency divide” offers a new relevant research opportunity. Therefore, this article is dealing with the measurability of efficiency of e-tools and the main success factors of digital cohesion policy to methodologically support Member States in developing a deeper understanding of the nature of e-Cohesion. I present arguments in the paper that the level of potential efficiency gains is connected to the maturity of e-Cohesion systems which are determined by different contextual (technological, security or organisational) factors. The paper, therefore, systematically reviews the relevant e-Government literature on the issue of maturity and the key requirements of e-Cohesion. Based on this, it aims to identify the most important models and success factors to pave the way for further empirical research and the creation of an e-Cohesion-specific maturity model. Key words: e-Cohesion, cohesion policy, maturity , paperless fund management
