Building institutional trust through e-government trustworthiness cues

Purpose – Most theory and empirical research on the impact of e-government on citizens’ trust in government remains at the macro-level and misses out on the complexities of the interaction between e-services and citizens’ trust in government. The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of this complexity. Design/methodology/approach – The research strategy is a comparative case study of two e-services in Chile: a tax administration and an e-procurement system. Data were collected from a variety of users (citizens and business owners) and public sector employees in the Araucania Region in Chile. Findings – Within e-services, the most easily perceived and influential trustworthiness cues are those outcomes that directly impact the citizen. These cues shape citizens’ resultant interpretations of and trust in the public sector agency. Furthermore, the direction of this influence is mediated by individuals’ particular circumstances and value positions. Key to understanding the process of building and destroying trust is the identification of the value conflicts that can emerge from e-service implementations and how they align with citizens’ values. Research limitations/implications – The research conclusions are potentially an artefact of the financial nature of the e-service transactions and the cultural uniqueness of Chileans. Originality/value – The paper presents an original integrated conception of trust and institutional trust as well as a comparative analysis of citizens’ perceptions and interpretations of “successful” e-services.