Theorizing the Relationship of Corruption in National Institutions with E-Government Maturity

Satish Krishnan,Anupriya Khan

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04315-5_13

Abstract

Though information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly used in a range of governmental services in terms of e-government and smart government, many countries struggle to achieve a higher level of maturity owing to several challenges. In this study, we perceive corruption in a country is one such challenge, and take interest in understanding its impact on the growth and maturity of e-government. While the literature highlights a number of negative effects of corruption, its impact on e-government remains nearly unexplored, since most studies linking e-government and corruption have investigated the impact of e-government on corruption, but not the other way around. To address this void in the literature, we strive to provide a rich theoretical understanding of the mechanisms pertaining to the impact of corruption on e-government maturity. Adopting an institutional perspective to conceptualize corruption, we argue that corruption in three basic national institutions (political, legal, and media institutions) in a country can impede its e-government maturity. Specifically, we develop a conceptual framework by drawing on four key theoretical perspectives, namely, the agency theory, the control theory, the theory of X-inefficiency, and the rent-seeking theory to explain the negative influence of corruption in national institutions on e-government maturity. We believe that the proposed conceptual framework will guide further research on “corruption–e-government” phenomenon by offering theoretical insights, and help practitioners and policymakers dealing with e-government projects and initiatives.

Highlights

The use of information and communication technologies in all facets of governmental operations and services (e-government) has evolved in the last decade to enable more effective and transparent interactions between government and citizens (G2C), government and businesses (G2B), and among government entities (G2G) [22, 45]
Acknowledging the potential impact of corruption on egovernment, the key research question (RQ) that this study aims to address is: RQ: How does corruption in national institutions of a country affect its egovernment maturity? To address the above question, we propose a conceptual framework by drawing on four key theoretical perspectives: (1) the agency theory; (2) the control theory; (3) the theory of X-inefficiency; and (4) the rent-seeking theory
By grounding the discussion on the institutional perspective for construing corruption, this study aims to explore the relationships of corruption in three basic national institutions with e-government maturity

Summary

Introduction

The use of information and communication technologies in all facets of governmental operations and services (e-government) has evolved in the last decade to enable more effective and transparent interactions between government and citizens (G2C), government and businesses (G2B), and among government entities (G2G) [22, 45]. To provide the desired values, governments have to secure a higher level of online presence or e-government maturity for offering technology-enabled ways for the citizens to readily access various services and be engaged with governments [17]. E-government maturity is defined as the extent to which a government in a country has established an online presence [32, 57]. Attaining a higher level of maturity is quite challenging since it requires the adoption of new (smart) information technologies (IT) and demands integration and interoperability in e-government. The current study focuses on understanding how e-government maturity in a country can be affected, and takes interest in analyzing the impact of corruption in this context

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion