Data Exchange Standards in the Public Sector

This book describes the development of a questionnaire which measures the acceptance of data exchange standards in public administrations. Analogously to the use of EDI in the private industry, XML-based data exchange standards provide a high potential for the improvement of public sector communication processes, since they allow for structured data exchange between communication partners. But which factors determine the adoption decision, if the use of those standards is not obligatory? On the basis of a research model which has been developed to answer this question, the author designed a questionnaire which quantifies the model determinants in order to measure their influence on the adoption decision. The survey development comprises three steps: the creation of a web-based questionnaire, the application of cognitive testing methods and the conduction of a pilot study among German municipalities. This book provides both an overview of German E-Government approaches and a valuable guideline for researchers on the survey development process.