This thesis examines the arguments used by politicians and civil servants to justify the implementation of digitalisation processes to modernise and reform the Norwegian public sector. The research questions are “What arguments are used within the Norwegian public administration to justify the implementation of digitalisation processes?” and “How can these arguments be understood in relation to ideas about modernisation and ongoing reforms within the administration more generally?”.

Three studies of digitalisation and reform processes within the Norwegian public administration have been carried out to answer the research questions. The first study is of the Minside public electronic communications service from its inception in 2004 until the service was discontinued in 2012. The second study is an analysis of governmental documents on the role and importance of digitalisation reforms in the Norwegian public sector from the mid-1980’s to today. The third outlines how digitalisation is related to a reform process within the public sector, widely referred to as New Public Management (NPM).

The analysis shows that justifications for the implementation of Minside and for digitalisation in the Norwegian public administration are generally focused on the simplification, coordination and rationalisation of the public sector. These justifications are closely connected to key normative ideas of NPM on how and why modernisation and reform processes should be carried out within the public sector in general.

Despite high expectations, many digitalisation and electronic service implementations aimed at the population do not achieve the effects expected. This does not, however, appear to have had any impact upon these seemingly deeply entrenched expectations. They continue to be as widely held and as high as they have always been, despite widespread evidence to the contrary.

Hvordan begrunner aktører innenfor norsk offentlig forvaltning digitaliseringsprosesser? Hvordan kan disse begrunnelsene forstås i forhold til ideer om modernisering og pågående reformer innenfor forvaltningen mer generelt?

For å svare på disse spørsmålene presenteres tre historier: Først studeres den offentlige digitale tjenesten Minside, deretter undersøkes offentlige dokumenter som omhandler digitaliseringsprosessers rolle og betydning for modernisering i forvaltningen fra 1987 opp til i dag. Til slutt analyseres ideene bak moderniseringen av offentlig sektor, New Public Management, som har hentet ideer og inspirasjon for hvordan offentlig sektor skal organiseres fra privat sektors markedstenkning.

Funnene viser at begrunnelsene for digitalisering er å nå mål som forenkling, samordning og effektivisering. Disse målene står i et nært forhold til normative idealer innenfor New Public Management for hvordan reformer og modernisering begrunnes mer generelt. Avhandlingens viser også at forventningene til fordelene ved digitalisering synes å være robuste. Til tross for at en rekke digitaliseringsprosesser ikke har oppnådd de ønskede resultater, så synes ikke de omfattende og sterke forventningene til hva som kan oppnås gjennom digitalisering å avta.