E-government Research Articles

Information collection, public attitudes, and supportive behavior tendencies in the urban digital transformation: a survey experiment in a facial recognition scenario

Information collection is key to digital governance, yet few studies have investigated how specific factors associated with information collection affect public attitudes and supportive behavior tendencies. Using information collection through facial recognition technology as the research scenario, this study explores the mechanism that drives public support of information collection on the basis of questionnaire data collected from 1,116 individuals in China via a 2 (government platform vs. enterprise platform) * 2 (explicitly informed vs. tacitly agreed) survey experimental design. It was found that information collection in urban digital transformation strengthened supportive behavior tendencies, and public attitudes played a mediating role in the relationship between the two. Specifically, information collection on a government platform is more likely to increase supportive behavior tendencies than information collection on an enterprise platform. Information collection via tacit agreement is more likely to increase supportive behavior tendencies than information collection via explicitly informed consent. This study has implications for understanding public behavioral choices under contrasting information collection strategies and for promoting the realization of coproduction between the government, the enterprise, and the public in a way that enhances the value of collected data.

Exploring the Relationship Between E-Government, Transparency, and Citizen Trust in Government Services

This study investigates the relationship between e-government initiatives, transparency, and citizen trust in government services. By synthesizing existing literature and analyzing case studies from various countries, the research aims to understand how digital governance and transparency can influence public trust in governmental operations and services. E-government, which encompasses the use of digital platforms and technologies to deliver government services, is found to play a significant role in enhancing transparency and accessibility. The study reveals that e-government initiatives facilitate greater openness by providing citizens with easy access to information and services, thereby reducing opportunities for corruption and enhancing accountability. This increased transparency is shown to be crucial in fostering a more informed and engaged citizenry. Transparency in government is identified as a key factor in building citizen trust. The research highlights that when governments are open about their processes, decisions, and use of resources, citizens are more likely to perceive them as reliable and trustworthy. Transparency initiatives, such as open data platforms and online public consultations, allow for greater scrutiny and participation, which in turn can increase public confidence in government actions. Citizen trust in government services is essential for the effective functioning of a democratic society. The study indicates that trust is significantly influenced by the perceived transparency and accessibility of government services. When citizens trust that their government is transparent and accountable, they are more likely to engage with and utilize government services, leading to greater societal cohesion and cooperation. In conclusion, the interplay between e-government, transparency, and citizen trust is critical in shaping the effectiveness and credibility of government services. The study suggests that enhancing digital governance and transparency can lead to increased public trust and more effective government operations. Future research should explore the specific mechanisms through which e-government initiatives can further enhance transparency and trust in different socio-political contexts.

The Internet as A Democratic Hellscape

This paper applies John Locke's political philosophy to dissect the 2018 Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, revealing how social media's democratic promise can turn into a profit-driven, unjust digital governance. Locke's Two Treatises of Government serves as a theoretical lens to explore how social media sites, initially perceived as democratic spaces, can devolve into unjust and illegitimate digital governments. The contemporary moment inextrixibly intertwines the Internet and capital, resulting in profit as the driving force behind social media sites. This driving force thus biases digital giants, resulting in a dissonance between the percieved democratizing potential of the Internet and the reality of how these sites operate. By scrutinizing the breach of natural rights and the erosion of user trust, the paper argues that Facebook's actions create what Locke would define as a state of war between the platform and its users. The essay urges digital citizens to be aware of these dynamics so that there can be collective resistance against illegitimate digital governments. With this framework, digital citizens are given the tools to create just communities in the evolving digital lanscape.

Evaluation of Local Government Digital Governance Ability and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Hunan Province

Strengthening the governance capacity of local governments in the digital domain is crucial to the modernization of the national governance system and the process of sustainable development. This paper integrates the concept of sustainable development drawing upon the principles of systems theory and adopts the logical analytical framework of “resource input–process transformation–result output” to construct a digital governance capacity indicator system for local governments. The focus is on three dimensions: basic resource input, network public opinion management, and digital service effectiveness. Using statistical data from the digital governance capacity indicators of 14 cities and prefectures in Hunan Province from 2018 to 2022 as a case study, we base our analysis on the index system constructed herein. Employing the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method and the obstacle degree model, we evaluate and analyze the digital governance capacity of the government in Hunan Province. Our findings indicate that the government’s digital governance capacity in Hunan Province has been on a rising trend overall. However, there are noticeable regional disparities in the strength of digital governance capacity across western, northern, central, and southern Hunan, particularly in terms of digital service effectiveness, which presents the most significant barriers to improvement. These results suggest that local governments should tailor their efforts to enhance digital governance capacity around resource allocation based on regional differences, the establishment of an online public opinion monitoring system, the optimization of government information disclosure mechanisms, the performance of government service platforms, and the strengthening of a two-way communication mechanism between the government and the public.

دور الحكومة الرقمية في دعم النمو الاقتصادي للدول - دراسة حالة: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة

The study aimed to identify the reality and future of implementing digital government in the United Arab Emirates, and its role in supporting the country’s economic growth. This is done by learning about the concept of digital government, its elements, and its importance, and then learning about the foundations of implementing digital government in the United Arab Emirates. The role of the digital government in enhancing the position of the United Arab Emirates regionally and internationally as a center for technical progress and e-commerce, and knowing the position of the United Arab Emirates in the relevant global competitiveness indicators through the use of the descriptive analytical approach and the case study approach. The study reached a set of results, the most important of which are: The contribution of the United Arab Emirates’ adoption of modern technology and its application to digital government in achieving the concept of leadership and innovation, and developing distinguished infrastructure, as the country has allocated large investments to support the information technology sector; This led it to become a regional center for information and communication technology services and industry, and created an attractive investment environment in the information technology sector, which enhanced the diversification of sources of income and increased the size of the gross domestic product and its dependence on non-oil sectors, as the percentage of increase in the gross domestic product reached 7.9%. Year 2022, these sectors, of all types, relied on a qualified infrastructure of technical development, which highlights the importance of the state adopting technical progress through digital government in supporting economic growth. Digital transformation in the United Arab Emirates also contributed to enhancing its competitiveness in the international system by occupying first place globally in 23 indicators in 2020 in multiple sectors, including communications, health, work, and residence, all of which fall within the digital transformation in the United Arab Emirates. The study recommended a set of recommendations, including the need to generalize the success of the United Arab Emirates’ experience in implementing the digital government project to Arab countries; this is due to the success of its application in the UAE and its role in facilitating and simplifying all procedures and services provided to customers. Its impact on reducing time and costs, and its role in attracting investments and promoting economic growth. In addition to continuing to build and strengthen the education system using modern technical means, which contributes to spreading the culture of information technology and preparing technically qualified educational personnel to deal with the requirements of technical development.

Issues in China's Alignment with DEPA Data Cross-Border Regulation

In the global digital governance game, the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) features innovative designs for digital trade, aligning with China's goals of internal data sharing openness and external breaking of "rule locks". However, China currently exhibits significant legislative differences in the "Data Issues" section of DEPA's fourth module, adopting stricter regulatory measures for cross-border data flow and data localization. Addressing DEPA's "principle & exception" regulatory standards, this paper argues that legitimate public policy objectives can be aligned with DEPA through proportionality principles, WTO general exception clauses, etc. By innovating customs supervision methods and following the path of the Hainan Free Trade Port trial, connecting international trade new rules, orderly implementing law enforcement systems and supporting mechanisms to ensure data security and orderly flow, China can gradually align with DEPA.

Platform kinship and the reshaping of political order in the Somali territories

Abstract Numerous studies show that digital technologies facilitate diaspora engagement in homeland affairs. However, communities in home countries also adapt digital platforms to harness diasporic support and drive socio-political change. Despite a rich literature on ‘digital kinship’, there remains a limited understanding of kinship's broader political and developmental impact, especially in (post)conflict regions. This article draws on fieldwork in the Somali territories to argue that a distinctive model of governance, platform kinship, is emerging as an alternative to existing state and international development programmes. Focusing on WhatsApp, it highlights how the platform's specific features are adapted to Somali segmentary clan structures, enabling kinship groups to bridge digital divides, preserve oral traditions and uphold egalitarian principles. Platform kinship has state-like effects. Through an ecosystem of WhatsApp groups, geographically dispersed kin mediate disputes, coordinate development projects, fund political campaigns, and respond to conflicts and crises. However, it also empowers new actors, including youth, politicians and business elites, while marginalizing elders. Furthermore, because platform kinship strengthens the clan as the central political unit, it can deepen divisions between kinship groups and undermine state-building projects and conceptions of national identity. This has important implications for policy-makers and academics working on digital governance, development and peacebuilding.

Electronic governance and its role in promoting entrepreneurship - a survey study of a sample of colleges at Sulaimani Polytechnic University

This research aims to explain the role of electronic governance in its various dimensions in promoting entrepreneurship, by applying it in the colleges of Sulaimani Polytechnic University. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher collected data from various sources. The descriptive analytical approach was used to conduct the study, and the questionnaire was a main tool for collecting information. The research community consisted of college deans, assistant deans, department heads, department rapporteurs, division and unit officials, and professors. Their number reached 250 individuals, where 200 questionnaires were distributed and 49 questionnaires were returned. The total percentage of questionnaires received was 24.5%. SPSS program was used to analyze the data. The study reached a number of results, the most important of which is that the colleges of Sulaimani Polytechnic University give great importance to the variable of electronic governance in its various dimensions (Standards and applications, electronic participation, monitoring and evaluation, capabilities and human resources), and entrepreneurship in its various dimensions (creativity and innovation, initiative, take advantage of the opportunities, risk). The study found that there is a strong and direct correlation between electronic governance in its various dimensions and entrepreneurship. The research concluded that there is a need to activate the university’s great capabilities in implementing e-governance, through the presence of effective strategies to solve problems.

Regulating Dominant Platforms: Challenges and Opportunities of Content Moderation on Jio Platforms

Abstract Indian multinational technology company, Jio Platforms with an active subscriber base of 467.6 million (February 2024, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data) continues to lead the market in India. Digitisation has transformed India’s governance model as deep penetration of telecom and the internet in India has laid the foundation for a digital economy. This article examines the role of self-regulation mechanisms and censorship in India’s dominant platform company Jio Platforms which contributes significantly to changing the paradigm of digital governance, thereby making services seamless, and easily accessible and improving the ease of living and doing business. Facebook’s investment in Jio for a 9.99 percent stake makes it the largest investment for a minority stake by a tech company anywhere in the world. With Jio Platforms and Facebook parent Meta Platforms rolling out a grocery delivery app using Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service, the transnational ties are deepening and expanding, making it imperative to examine the role of self-regulation and censorship in a market that is open, diverse and the largest in a democratic governance structure. This article will examine the key concerns of data sharing and privacy, especially when the central plank of government policy is digitisation. With stricter government regulations for foreign players in the market, there is a distinct focus of the government on boosting Indian companies to capture and control the market. Data collated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) show India’s overall internet user base grew to around 936.16 million in 2023. Such a diverse and vibrant open market calls for effective regulations and restrictions on privacy, algorithms, deceptive practices, antitrust, financing, and governance. This article aims to investigate the challenges of regulating dominant platforms. It delves deep into understanding and analysing the challenges and opportunities that evolve in regulating Jio Platforms. The study will also inquire whether favourable government policies and national legislation boost the processes of digitisation and whether there is a need for a new regulatory framework laid by the government for platforms to abide by. India has an open market dominated by US multinational firms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Content removal and other online censorship efforts are topics of heated debate, in academia and policy circles. This makes it arduous to ensure that data protection and privacy are safeguarded, particularly by dominant platforms such as Jio Platforms which is almost monopolising the Indian market.

“E-GOVERNMENT” AS A PRIORITY COMPONENT OF THE FORMATION OF NETOCRATIC PUBLIC GOVERNANCE: ESTONIAN DEVELOPMENT VECTOR

The article discusses the main approaches to defining the concept of «electronic government »; it was found that the integration of public administration into the virtual information space creates favorable preconditions for the formation of effective electronic democracy as a logical continuation of the transformation of socio-political processes in the conditions of the information society, which indicates a netocratic vector of development of public administration. The experience of Estonia regarding the successful testing and implementation of an effective electronic governance system has been studied. The factors that influenced the formation of a high level of electronic government services in Estonia are considered. It is recommended to focus on the Estonian experience in the practical application of e-government with the aim of developing information and digital infrastructures in the management sphere and effective domestic e-government as an integrated platform for the formation of netocratic public administration.

Challenges and Strategies for Community Elderly Care Services in the Era of Digital Governance

With our country's technological advancements, digital governance is increasingly penetrating all aspects of social life, particularly in the public service sector. As the "silver-haired group" grows, so does the demand for and attention to community elderly care services. The introduction of digital governance offers new opportunities in this field, yet it presents significant challenges. The integration of intelligent technology in community elderly care, facilitated by digital advancements, enhances service efficiency and quality, enabling more convenient and personalized care for the elderly. However, the implementation faces specific challenges: digital anomalies where technology usage exceeds conventional norms, a digital divide marked by the elderly's limited ability to utilize new intelligent devices and services, and insufficient professional training for caregivers. These issues complicate the promotion of digital governance in elderly care services. Addressing these problems involves several strategic measures: refining systems to bridge the digital divide, enhancing the training and familiarity of digital technologies among the elderly, and improving caregiver professionalism. Additionally, establishing robust data security management and privacy protection mechanisms, along with advancing the legal framework surrounding eldercare, are crucial. Moreover, it is vital to provide more emotional care, enhance the elderly's sense of belonging, and meet their emotional needs to support the effective integration of digital governance into community elderly care services.

Towards a platformised welfare state? How public administration, personal data, and third-sector welfare get entangled in a nation-wide digitalisation project

In the era of digital governance, the concept of Government as a Platform (GaaP) has gained significant attention. This article studies the implementation of this concept, taking the German Social Service Platform’ as a case study. The catalyst for the development of this public platform has been the German Online Access Act (Online-Zugangs-Gesetz or OZG), which marks a pivotal moment in the country’s government digitalization efforts. Employing the analytical toolkit of the Actor-Network-Theory (ANT), the article studies the sociotechnical processes shaping the evolution of this platform. It provides a thick description of the dynamics of translating generic ideas into an already existing landscape of institutions and technologies and explores how, through the actors’ interpretations, their negotiations, and their interactions with technologies, both ideas of traditional welfare governance (subsidiarity, welfare pluralism, and executive federalism) and ideas related to the platform concept (agility, user-centered design, once-only) are continuously redefined throughout the process.

How M-government Services Build Relative Trust? The Mediating Roles of Value Creation and Risk Perception

Mobile government (m-government) has been proposed as a means to rebuild public trust in government. However, there is limited discussion regarding how m-government shapes trust in the existing literature. Thus, our study aims to examine the impact of m-government services on various types of trust by using the concept of relative trust. Additionally, we investigate how public value creation, private value acquisition, and risk perception mediate the relationship between m-government use and citizens’ relative trust in government. To test our hypotheses, this study collected data from a telephone survey of 2,875 public service users in China. The findings reveal that the use of m-government services is positively associated with citizens’ relative trust in institutions but negatively associated with their relative trust in grassroots civil servants. Furthermore, perceived public and private values mediate the relationship between m-government services and citizens’ relative trust in institutions versus grassroots civil servants, with private value playing a more significant mediating role. This study provides evidence on the role of m-government services in shaping various types of citizens’ relative trust in government, including institutional trust and relational trust.

Future research directions: Enhancing the citizenship experience

This article explores the emerging concept of the Citizenship Experience (CZX), which encompasses the interactions individuals have with public services and infrastructure. Synthesizing insights from the recent literature and findings from our Special Issue, we highlight key areas, including public services, urban mobility, healthcare digital transformation, urban design, and taxation. We propose a future research agenda focused on integrating technology, applying user-centered design, evaluating digital government initiatives, enhancing transparency in policies, and fostering community engagement through urban design. This framework aims to enhance CZX and contribute to citizens’ overall well-being.

Research on the Construction of Urban Digital Governance System

With the rapid development of information technology, digital transformation has become an important way to modernise urban governance. The research on the construction of urban digital governance system aims to explore how to make use of the new management, optimise public services and enhance urban competitiveness. This research field not only focuses on innovation at the technical level, but also emphasises the deep integration of digital governance in multi-dimensional aspects such as policy formulation, regulatory improvement and public participation. By building a digital governance system, it can effectively respond to various challenges in urban development and promote sustainable urban development. Based on this, the following is a discussion on the construction strategy of urban digital governance system for reference.

Safety and Privacy in Immersive Extended Reality: An Analysis and Policy Recommendations

Extended reality (XR) technologies have experienced cycles of development—“summers” and “winters”—for decades, but their overall trajectory is one of increasing uptake. In recent years, immersive extended reality (IXR) applications, a kind of XR that encompasses immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments, have become especially prevalent. The European Union (EU) is exploring regulating this type of technology, and this article seeks to support this endeavor. It outlines safety and privacy harms associated with IXR, analyzes to what extent the existing EU framework for digital governance—including the General Data Protection Regulation, Product Safety Legislation, ePrivacy Directive, Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and AI Act—addresses these harms, and offers some recommendations to EU legislators on how to fill regulatory gaps and improve current approaches to the governance of IXR.

Does digital tax enforcement drive corporate digitalization? Evidence from the Golden tax project III in China: A pre-registered study

This pre-registered study executes the empirical design approved in the associated pre-registered report (Chen and He, 2024) to analyze the interaction between the tax enforcement and corporate behavior based on a digital perspective, with the Golden Tax Project III in China as the quasi-natural experiment. The study finds following conclusions: 1) the implementation of the Golden Tax Project III significantly promotes the firm digitalization. 2) the Golden Tax Project III has formed a regulatory impact on firm tax risk management, driving firms to promote digitalization for better tax risk management. 3) the promotion effect of the Golden Tax Project III on the firm digitalization helps to improve firms' total factor productivity. This article extends the economic consequences of tax digitalization and provides a new perspective for promoting high-quality economic development through the coordinated advancement of digital government and digital economy.

Assessing the Impact of Financial Technology (Fintech) on Financial Inclusion in Egypt: An Applied Study

Financial technology (Fintech) has emerged as a transformative force in the global financial landscape, offering innovative solutions to longstanding challenges. This study delves into the Egyptian context to assess the profound impact of fintech on financial inclusion—a crucial factor for economic development and social equity. Through empirical analysis, this research endeavors to unveil the multifaceted ways in which fintech is reshaping the financial landscape in Egypt, particularly regarding expanding access to financial services for underserved and unbanked populations. The data was collected from financial statements of banks over the period of 2018 – 2022, with keywords identified in annual reports to create dummy variables for analysis and analyzing it by STATA through logistic regression to determine whether there is a significant impact or not. The results reveal that the research supports the hypothesis that fintech has a significant effect on financial inclusion, as well as on reliability, availability, accessibility, and efficiency of electronic government services. Thus, this study contributes valuable insights for the Egyptian government to develop electronic payment systems and regulations that maximize the availability, accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness of electronic government services, ultimately improving the lives of the nation’s residents. Keywords: Fintech, E-payment bills, Modes of payment, E-government system, Financial Inclusion

The Delay and Failure of ICT Related Projects: Empirical Impediments in Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Tanzania

This study investigates impediments to ICT project success in MDAs in Tanzania. The study is carried using descriptive design and is carried in Dodoma and Dar es salaam with five big organizations implementing ICT projects which acted as representative of the rest. Such organizations include Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), TAMISEMI, Electronic Government Agency (eGA), Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA). Data is collected through the use of questionnaire and analysed descriptively by the use of IBM SPSS version 20. Findings disclose that presence of inadequate staff with limited skilled, lack of up to date and supporting ICT infrastructure coupled with limited financial resources lead to ICT project failure. Based on these findings, the researcher concludes that, adequate skilled staff availed with the required facilities and funded effectively lead to ICT project success or otherwise. It is therefore recommended that meritocratic staffing be implemented but still on-job trainings should be emphasized as well. In the same vein, the researcher recommends the government to set sufficient budget to obtain the required ICT equipment for better project performance.

Тенденции и перспективы применения технологий GovTech в процессе цифровизации государственного сектора

These days, governments are actively increasing the introduction of new GovTech solutions in order to improve the efficiency of public authorities work. The digital government, as a key concept of the public sector digitalization, is the next stage in the evolution of public administration, which is aimed at accelerating the decision-making process at the state and municipal levels, improving the interaction with citizens and public organizations, as well as increasing the level of trust in the authorities. The article analyses GovTech technologies and the principles of their introduction, the stages of public sector digital maturity. The COVID-19 pandemic was identified as the driver of the government digitization, but in the long run, the reactive policy should move to a complete reorganization of public administration systems in terms of the introduction of new technologies and ensuring cybersecurity. The article assesses the main challenges of GovTech introduction, as well as the key GovTech trends. Additionally, the authors analyzed the European and Russian practices of public administration digitalization. An analysis of GovTech concept, conducted by the authors, allowed to determine the conditions of growth of the Russian GovTech market and its prospects and to draw conclusions about the significant potential of Russia to successfully achieve the stage of the digital government.