IT Outsourcing in the Public Sector: a Literature Analysis

This chapter presents an analysis of geographically and disciplinarily scattered academic publications on information technology outsourcing (ITO) in public organizations. It defines the interdisciplinary scope of public ITO research area, confirms the tendencies in the public ITO research that follow the tendencies of the ITO research in general, and discusses the differences in the conceptual approaches of IS and public administration research fields to the public ITO. Consolidation and analysis of diverse findings will benefit both public officials and outsourcing vendors. Highlighting organizational characteristics of public agencies that affect ITO decisions, governance, and outcomes, makes a contribution to ITO research in general. The chapter also suggests directions for future research.