Living up to standards : interoperability governance and standards adoption in government information networks

This dissertation investigates the organisational adoption of standards for data exchange within inter-organisational governance networks. First, it finds that the standards adoption process is a complex interplay of multiple actors at organisational and inter-organisational levels. Second, it identifies key factors that determine adoption: the decision-making structure governing the standards, the characteristics of a network and its external environment, the efforts required for standards adoption and the results from this, the capacity and needs of the adopting organisations, and the characteristics of the standards. Third, it finds that more complex networks require more centralised governance of standards than less complex networks.