Electronic Funds and Benefits Transfers S103 his article examines how electronic funds transfers and electronic benefit transfers have become integral com- ponents of digital government. hese technologies have forwarded many of the principles of the Winter Com- mission, including the development of lean, responsive government. he greater efficiency and cost savings for the federal and most state governments have not been achieved without encountering and dealing with serious matters related to customer service, contracting, col- laboration, management, and implementation. hese issues arise in the normal daily use of electronic payment technologies, but they are magnified in crisis situations, as demonstrated by disaster relief operations during Hurricane Katrina. S ince the 1993 presentation of the Winter Com- mission’s report, Hard Truths/Tough Choices: An Agenda for State and Local Reform, to President Bill Clinton, the incorporation of digital technologies by federal, state, and local governments into a wide variety of functional areas has grown exponentially (West 2005). Because e-government was then in its nascence, the Winter Commission did not discuss the policy or management implications of adopting digital technologies for governance. Instead, this commission forwarded broad, sweeping rec- ommendations intended to im- prove the functioning of governments—recommendations that included eliminating ob- stacles to lean, responsive govern- ments, abolishing impediments to a high-performance workforce, and fostering citizen involvement. Clearly, digital technologies have played a role in helping state and local governments meet some of the goals of the Winter Commis- sion, at times contributing to lean, responsive governments, enhancing productivity and ef- ficiency, and facilitating greater transparency for citizens. Yet digital government is no panacea. he adoption of these technologies across state and local governments has been uneven. Sometimes wholehearted acceptance of these technologies has been met with disappoint- ment and excessive expense. hreats to privacy, theft of government benefits, as well as disclosure of personal identifying and banking information also contribute to the downside of e-government. his article looks at the extent to which one large and growing component of digital government—the elec- tronic disbursement of government funds and the monetary value of in-kind benefits—has helped to meet or impede the goals of the Winter Commission. Electronic disbursements via direct deposit, debit cards, and smart cards are now seen in procurement as well as in the disbursement of government benefits as diverse as food stamps, Social Security, Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), child support enforcement, child care, energy assistance, and refugee assistance (Pirog et al. 2007). his is a broad and growing area of e-governance and one at the very heart of government service delivery and Internet security. his article documents the dissemination of electronic disbursement technologies in federal and state governments and provides an overview of how governments are now using these technologies. he article draws on examples that highlight the ways in which governments are wrestling with the policy, man- agement, and technological implementation challenges. he case of Hurricane Katrina pro- vides insights into the particular challenges of launching elec- tronic payment programs in the context of a crisis and, along with the rest of the article, illus- trates how the goals of the Winter Commission are being furthered or thwarted. Maureen A. Pirog Craig L. Johnson Indiana University–Bloomington Electronic Funds and Benefits Transfers, E-Government, and the Winter Commission Maureen A. Pirog is the Rudy Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University–Bloomington. She is the editor in chief of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Her research focuses on the evaluation of programs that serve families; most recently, she has focused on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, faith-based delivery of social services, and child support enforcement. E-mail: pirog@indiana.edu Craig L. Johnson is an associate professor of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University–Bloomington. He received his MPA and PhD degrees from the University at Albany. His research focuses on improving the way in which government financial resources are managed. E-mail: crljohns@indiana.edu The Quest for High- Performance Administration he case of Hurricane Katrina provides insights into the particular challenges of launching electronic payment programs in the context of a crisis and, along with the rest of the article, illustrates how the goals of the Winter Commission are being furthered or thwarted.