Reappraising maturity models in e-Government research: The trajectory-turning point theory

Drawing on the notion of alignment, this paper endeavors to reappraise e-Government maturity models in the English system of criminal justice. It argues that e-Government maturity models are characterized by relatively-stable trajectories which are punctuated by radical shifts toward full-blown e-Government transformation. Far from being a prescriptive and linear process, e-Government maturity is an unpredictable process where turning points (or radical shifts) play a crucial role in the e-Government strategizing process. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed by developing a new theory of e-Government maturity that explains the twists and turns of e-Government strategizing.