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Digital information systems (ISs) aim for efficiency gains, savings and high benefits such as better service delivery or improved fraud detection. Yet benefits are often not reached in practice as IS projects are confronted with serious obstacles. Despite high efforts and enthusiastic project teams, failure is omnipresent for public sector ISs all over the world. Public sector IS failure can imply nasty consequences such as wasted tax payers’ money, governmental reputational damage, a poor front-office service or inefficiencies etc. (Rana et al, 2013; Goldfinch, 2007; McManus & Wood-Harper, 2007; Lyytinen & Hirschheim, 1987). Understanding failure is essential to develop, implement, manage and operationalise ISs effectively (Sauer & Davis, 2012). There is still a high need and much room for additional failure research. This dissertation aims to reduce three main research gaps: (1) A shortage of in-depth research on how public sector IS projects unfold and result in failure. (2) A lack of government-to-government (G2G) IS studies, while the majority of G2G IS projects is a partial or total failure. (3) A dearth of models to study IS project failure (Goldfinch, 2007; Homburg & Bekkers, 2002; Kautz & Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2013; Pan et al, 2006a,b; Yang & Maxwell, 2011). Given these gaps, the main research question of this dissertation focuses on how G2G IS projects in Flanders unfold and result in failure. This question is operationalised via three sub-questions. The first concerns what useful models from the IS research domain exist to analyse G2G IS failure in Flanders. The second sub-questions looks on how these models could be refined. While the third focuses on what determines failure according to Flemish G2G IS managers. The IS failure research literature distinguishes multiple concepts, causes and management approaches of failure. In this dissertation a G2G IS project is believed to have failed when it does not meet the expectations of its stakeholders and runs out of support (Lyytinen & Hirsscheim, 1987; Sauer, 1993). The usefulness of three models to analyse G2G IS failure was studied. Two of these models fit the rational factor lens on failure which sees failure as a combination of causally linked factors, failure is identified by the presence or absence of these factors (Kautz & Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2013; Sauer & Davis, 2012). The first model which fits the factor lens is the IS success model of Delone & McLean (1993; 2003), the second model is the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology by Venkatesch et al (2003). The third selected model fits the process lens, this lens sees failure as a personal value judgement and as the result of dynamic interaction processes between multiple context factors, the IS project organisation and its key stakeholders, whereby the IS ultimately runs out of support. Sauer’s (1993) IS failure model fits this lens. The usefulness of each model was tested based on two criteria: its applicability to research failure in a public sector context and its degree of completeness for detecting causes of failed G2G IS projects. The D&M model, UTAUT and IS failure model were tested on 5 Flemish G2G IS projects (the Road Sign Database, the Environmental Complaints Registration and Monitoring System, Going Out, the Library Information and Monitoring System and the Plan Merits system). The first two projects were tested in case studies, the last three via a survey combined with interviews. The IS failure model was also tested on a sixth IS project (i.e. the Digital Building Permit IS). All ISs were initiated by a Flemish project organisation (also called the IS project managers or idea champions) and required mainly data of municipalities. Three research steps were undertaken to test the usefulness of each model. First, data were collected via document analysis and interviews. No model specific questions were asked during interviews in order to let the data emerge inductively and speak for itself. Second, the IS projects were re-examined by looking through the lens of the D&M model, UTAUT and IS failure model. This deductive approach provided insight whether or not these models were applicable to analyse G2G IS failure causes. In a third step, the causes of failure that the models detected were compared to the indeductive list of causes, which allowed for a check of completeness. The research results show that each model can be applied to the public sector and is able to detect several causes of G2G IS failure. The D&M model appeared to be the least complete in detecting failure factors, while the IS failure model is the most complete one. The combination of the D&M model and UTAUT learns more than each model on its own. The IS failure model goes beyond the identification of factors as it is able to explain how ISs failed via multiple interactions of support, management and context processes. In total the models identified 21 recurrent failure factors. Although the three models are useful, they could be further refined, for example by better defining (sub-)constructs, describing how sub-constructs could be operationalised or by adapting constructs to a public sector context. In order to answer the third sub-question concerning what Flemish G2G IS managers determine as a failure, 20 G2G experts were interviewed and 32 Flemish G2G IS project managers were put together in five focus groups to allow cross-fertilisation of knowledge. The Flemish G2G IS managers and experts signalled 14 recurrent political-administrative, technical, economical and legal problems of failure. They also described the context of these problems and with whose support these might be solved. The experiences of the questioned G2G IS expert and managers combined with practical insights from the studied IS projects, led to some management advice: 1. Check for no go's at the start 2. Oblige a business and value case 3. Pay attention to supplier management 4. Say yes to user involvement, no to scope creep 5. Make clear agreements 6. Do not cut on testing and consider an agile way of working 7. Provide sufficient service quality 8. Do not block critique 9. Prove an IS's value 10. Don't burn your bridges 11. Be visionary This dissertation took an interpretivist stance in order to uncover deeper causes of failure. Based on the insights gained throughout this PhD journey, some G2G specific elements and five root causes of why Flemish G2G IS projects result in failure could be identified: 1. The tendency to focus on Flemish government interests and a local IS fatigue 2. A lack of coordination and integration of Flemish IS initiatives 3. A political lack of understanding ISs 4. Differences in organisational capacity 5. Juridical complications Insight in failure remains the first step to avoid it (Fortune & Peters 2005).