An Idol or an Ideal? A Case Study of Estonian e-Governance: Public Perceptions, myths and misbeliefs

Abstract

For over a decade, Estonia’s fast track in implementing cuttingedge technologies remains in the focus of global public discourse, and has conquered young technocrats at home. With ‘e-Estonia’ being showcased as a national visit card, one of its intrinsic parts is e-governance—the framework of a seamless digital connection between the citizen and the state. Over the years of success, Estonian model has often been referred to as opposite, contrasting or different to the previous patterns of ‘traditional public administration’, and moreover—as a part of Estonian national idea and a value itself. The aim of this article is to analyse the place of the phenomenon of e-governance in Estonian cyberlibertarian discourse through the lens of the concepts of ‘idol’ and ‘ideal public sphere’ with subsequent connotations for local public policy.