Exploring Different Levels of eGovernance Development in Romania: Case Study in Bihor County

This article investigates the level of development of eGovernance instruments at local levels in both urban and rural areas in Bihor County - Romania. The practicality of this topic is derived from the fact that Romania is lagging in terms of level of e-government development (UN Report 2010) when compared to Eastern-European countries or to other states. Given the fact that the usage of these instruments determines the increased efficiency in the administrative processes, as well as an increase of the institutional trust and public participation of citizens, this topic becomes particularly relevant for Romania as rates of trust in the public system and those of public and civic participation are lower than in all Eastern-European countries. This research thoroughly analyzed the eGovernance instruments used at local levels in urban and rural areas. The main research questions addressed were: which is the level of development of eGovernance at local levels in urban and rural areas? and how can we explain the disparities between Romania and other Eastern-European states in implementing these instruments? The findings presented in this paper are inferred from the field work conducted within the international research project Establishment of R+D programmes in the field of new public management between economic faculties of higher education in Hajdu-Bihar and Bihor Counties, implemented in partnership by the University of Oradea, Romania and Debrecen University, Hungary. Within this project a distinct topic of investigation emerged related to the implementation of eGovernance instruments as well as the promotion of decisional transparency and public participation as a means for increasing the efficiency of administrative processes; key elements of New Public Management. We analyzed several data resources: we conducted a systematic analysis of all web sites available for the Mayor's Offices in Bihor County, data that was complemented with in-depth information gathered from representatives of 30 Offices selected in the urban and rural areas from this county. The theoretical perspective is dedicated to presenting the elements, advantages and instruments of eGovernance in developing countries and Romania in particular. The research describes and assesses the level of development of eGovernance instruments used at Mayor's Offices in urban and rural localities from Bihor County. The local factors are identified through the interviews conducted for 30 Mayor's Offices, as well as the contextual ones - by disclosing the effects of European integration, decentralization and regionalization in Romania. Our paper concludes with the factors that explain the disparities between the level of development of eGovernance instruments in Bihor county and outlines policy recommendations in this field.