The Design Approach as a Bridge Between (sic) and (sic) in eGovernment Research

In recent years we have witnessed increased interest in the design approach within information systems ( IS) research. Parallel to this trend, the term "institutional design" has been widely used in the social sciences since the mid-1990s. In this paper, we ask if the design approach can serve as a bridge between the local and the global - between (sic) and (sic) - as represented by the two disciplines in order to support a holistic approach in eGovernment research. For this purpose we refer to and compare two relevant contributions from each discipline. We have found that there is substantial asymmetry regarding openness for local knowledge in global thinking, and vice versa. While the design approach in IS research is methodologically open to the broader and more abstract institutional context, the concept of institutional design lacks any reflection of local knowledge in its organizational settings. This asymmetry makes it difficult for the design approach to bridge (sic) and (sic) in eGovernment research. Nevertheless, this methodological asymmetry could be overcome by integrating technology as a specific factor in institutional thinking.