A Comparative Study of Contents of E-government Service Websites of Middle East and North African (MENA) Countries

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have historical ties and MENA countries share similarities with respect to socio-cultural characteristics, national economics (mainly based on natural resources such as oil), religious beliefs (predominantly Muslim), national languages (mainly Arabic), form of governance, and affiliation to regional organizations such as the Arab League. Few comparative e-government researchers have addressed e-government services and contents of e-government Websites within the context of MENA countries. This chapter fills in this gap by presenting e-governance as a desired outcome of diffusion of the Internet among MENA countries. It presents comparisons with respect to types of Websites and services, service-oriented features, online executable services, stages of development of e-government service, and e-government rankings of Websites hosted by MENA governments. Results of our analyses suggest that the similarities in e-governance among MENA countries span a number of variables including the stages of development of e-government services provided through Websites. Our recommendations, grounded in careful examination of 230 Websites of 18 MENA nations, could assist them in the provision of better e-government services to their citizens.