It Takes Two to Tango: Power Dependence in the Governance of Public-Private e-Government Infrastructures

National electronic identification systems (e-IDs) are key e-government infrastructures that form the backbone of e-government services. When developed via public-private partnerships (PPP), such e-government infrastructures require appropriate governance arrangements to sustain a delicate balance between governments and the private actors involved. Using the lens of power dependence theory, we investigate the ongoing tender process of the third-generation e-ID in Denmark. The key actors are public agencies and the financial sector. Early findings illustrate how contextual factors related to market, technology, regulations, and social norms affect the distribution of power dependence between the actors; such distribution will eventually shape the governance arrangement resulting from the tender. Through this study, we expect to contribute to research on governance of public-private e-government infrastructures, to research on large scale infrastructure procurement processes and e-ID, and to the theoretical development of power-dependence theory.