Does External Environment Affect E-Government? A Cross- Country Analysis - Information and Communication Technologies in Public Administration - page 64

3.2.1 Internet Usage and E-Government
A reasonable level of Internet usage is a necessary precondition for e-government
development. Possessing sufficient Internet access makes it possible to provide ser-
vices to citizens online while demonstrating public need for e-government develop-
ment. Singh, Das, and Joseph (2007) argued that the maturity of e-government in
a country could be reasonably expected to depend on the state of the ICT infra-
structure because such infrastructure limits the proportion of the citizenry that can
be served by e-government services. Bavec and Vintar (2007) also found that the
level of Internet access impacts the development of e-government. Higher levels
of Internet usage motivate more citizens to use information technologies to seek
information, services, and participation in government affairs. Therefore, the pub-
lic need of e-government should be higher in countries with higher levels of infra-
structure. Thus, the following hypothesis can be drawn:
H1: Higher levels of Internet usage lead to higher levels of e-government.
3.2.2 Democracy and E-Government
Lee, Chang, and Berry (2011) emphasized the fundamental role of political and civic
norms in the e-government and e-democracy success. A democratic society usually
reflects greater levels of openness, freedom of expression, civil rights, and political
stability (Das, DiRienzo, & Burbridge, 2009; Zheng & Holzer, 2013) and is gen-
erally more successful in e-government development. E-government not only uses
information technologies to deliver services but also promotes the value of transpar-
ency, freedom, and democracy. Countries with higher levels of democracy are likely
to have higher demand for e-government because they put more pressure on the gov-
ernment to provide government documents to citizens, give public opportunities to
submit comments and feedback, and provide for participation in the policy-making
process. Das et al. (2009) stated that with greater acceptance of civil liberties and
freedom of expression comes a greater provision for any digital e-facility.
The development of mass communication media, such as the postal system, the
newspaper, the telephone, television, and the Internet, has not only occurred in eco-
nomic or regulatory contexts but has also come about in a political context (Guillén &
Suárez, 2005). Thus, the influence of political environment on Internet usage can-
not be ignored. Guillén and Suárez (2005) argued that the political regime preva-
lent in any given society acts as an exogenous influence on Internet development
because it is a historical and causal variable existing prior to the emergence of the
Internet as a popular means of communication during the 1990s (see also Norris,
2001; van Dyjk, 1999). Internet development brings the decentralization in power
of jurisdictions, which becomes a big concern to governments and policy mak-
ers. Countries with higher levels of democracy would be more likely to motivate
the public to use the Internet to communicate, express, and discuss, which would