The WG will both continue with and upgrade the work and research done over the last years, in particular during the Moscow conference. The aims and objectives of further research will be focused on the specific problems and conditions of e-government development in particular, though not exclusively in CEE countries. We will be aiming to direct research on the region in a concrete framework, hence trying to produce results important not only for academic discussion but also useful as a reference point by the key decision makers in the various countries.

At the Moscow conference a wide range of a ‘country based’ reports were presented. We would like to encourage additional country specific studies in order to obtain a more holistic picture of e-government development in CEE countries. However, in addition, we would also like to deepen the scope of our studies with as many as possible field-specific, empirically based, studies of different policy domains, areas and problems relating to e-government development.

As in the past the intention is for the research to involve both academics and other experts. In 2006 the working group will try to focus particularly (but not exclusively) on the following issues:

• in-depth analysis of e-government development in individual countries:
• country by country: at the state level (central administration) and local administration
• by policy sector; education, health, housing, transportation, police, the judiciary, etc.
• by specific technological, regulatory and organisational aspects.
• overview and comparison of national strategies and action plans and efficiency and effectiveness analysis;
• good practice case studies, presenting provision of E-services in different fields of the public sector,
• case studies presenting successful reengineering of administrative processes and e-services implementation, as well as unsuccessful projects and the reasons for failure;
• the effect of introducing E-government and E-services on administrative quality and user satisfaction;
• comparison of approaches to different sub-sectors in Eastern and Western Europe;
• the effect of E-government on improving public governance and management policy (public policy, management and governance);