The study reported here is a multinational investigation of collaborative e-government initiatives that involve multiple organizations. The study documented and compared the experiences of collaboration efforts in four countries using a consistent method of data collection and description that allows comparisons across cases that might reveal fundamental characteristics that transcend national boundaries (Dawes & Prefontaine, 2003).

Comparative case studies represent a methodology where “cases are developed though use of multiple sources of evidence, investigating phenomena with their contexts.” Individual cases are then analyzed through cross-case comparison. (Agranoff & Radin, 1991). The process begins with an initial theoretical statement or set of propositions. Case findings are then used to test and refine them. (Yin, 1994). We used this method to document and compare 12 case studies (briefly characterized in Table 1) including six in Canada, five in the US, and two in Western Europe. Three teams of academic field researchers developed the cases in their respective regions.

The cases were selected based on the existence of a reciprocal and voluntary agreement between two or more distinct public sector agencies, or between public and private or non-profit entities, to deliver government services. The arrangements among the parties usually rested on a formal agreement, generally a contract, which specified the purpose of the collaboration, and the sharing or allocation of associated resources, risks, and responsibilities. All of the collaborations were operational at the time of the study (2000-2002).

Table 1. Case Characteristics
Case	Service Focus	Government sponsor	Predominant collaboration type	Service type
Access Indiana	Public access to state government information and transactions	State of Indiana	Public-private	Public access to multiple services and/or information sources
Ambassadeur	Citizen Internet exposure & training program in rural areas	Province of Quebec	Public-nonprofit	Public access to a single service type
Bremen on-line	Public access to city information and transactions	City of Bremen, Germany	Public-private	Public access to multiple services and/or information sources
Cadastre Reengineering	Real property tax mapping	Province of Quebec	Public-private	Support for governmental operations
First gov	Public access to federal government information	US federal government	Public-private	Public access to multiple services and/or information sources
Hotjob	Job offers portal	Belgian national government	Public-private	Public access to a single service type
Internal Revenue Service e-file	Filing of personal income tax returns	US Federal government	Public-private	Public access to a single service type
NYS Geographic Information System Coordination Program	Data sharing and development of data analysis expertise	State of New York	Public-public	Support for governmental operations
One-Stop Business Registration	Unique kiosk allowing electronic filling of all forms required to open a new business	Province of British Columbia	Public-nonprofit	Public access to a single service type
Ontario Business Connect	Unique kiosk of government services to businesses	Province of Ontario	Public-private	Public access to a single service type
Partners in Change	IT system to manage welfare benefits delivery	Province of New Brunswick	Public-private	Support for governmental operations
Service Canada Initiative	Online government information to citizens	Canadian federal government	Public-public	Public access to multiple services and/or information sources

While the cases share the characteristics noted above, they also represent variation along other dimensions. For instance, they focus on different service types, such as health care, economic development, public access to government information, and taxation. They fall into three main service types: support for back-office governmental operations that underlie service delivery (3 cases), support for public access to a single service (5 cases), or support for public access to a set of related services (4 cases). Where multiple cases were drawn from a single country, they represent different geographic regions. They also vary in size and duration. In many cases, combinations of public, private, and nonprofit actors took part, but in each individual case one of three main types of collaboration dominated the arrangement. These three types and associated cases are described below.