Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
collection of taxes; electronic voting; payment of utility bills, fines, and dues;
applications for various types of public programs, permits and licenses; on-line
registration of companies and automobiles; access to census and other public data;
and reductions in waiting times in government offices. To the extent that e-gov-
ernment improves states' abilities to deliver services, it may increase satisfaction
with existing regimes; conversely, in societies in which public sector jobs are often
allocated through patronage networks, increased efficiency of e-government may
minimize the growth of public employment. Cities may promote themselves on the
Web as a means to entice tourists and foreign investors; interactive municipal sites
give residents access to information about schools, libraries, bus schedules, and
hospitals; even downloading official forms facilitates citizen participation. By
making public records more open, e-government may increase responsiveness and
empower citizens to challenge arbitrary government actions, enhancing transpar-
ency. Similarly, digital hotlines for submission of citizen complaints give voice to
those who are typically voiceless in the circles of governance. Concerns over e-
government include the potential invasions of privacy that it invites, local and
national security, and the inequality of access generated by digital divides (about
which more later).
Nai‹ ve views of the internet, informed from by a technologically-determinist
reading, imply that the impacts are similar across the globe and that there is, or
at least there can be, a generic, universal model (e.g., Grant and Chau
2005
) that
can be applied everywhere in cookie-cutter fashion. In contrast, more realistic
appraisals focus on the institutional and political contexts in which e-govern-
ment is adopted, which lead to enormous differences in effects and impacts. A
central goal of this chapter is to refute such assertions by emphasizing the
profound geographical variations that exist in the nature and consequences of
e-government among (and within) countries. Because e-government is best
developed in economically developed countries, the analysis focuses on such
states, but as e-government has gradually spread to parts of the developing
world, the spatial variations in its applications and impacts have multiplied
correspondingly.
This chapter stresses the theme of social inclusivity and exclusivity. Its primary
aim is to demonstrate the socially and geographical variable nature of e-govern-
ment across the world. It proceeds in four steps. First it outlines broad arguments
pertaining to the forms that e-government assumes, including different models,
stages of implementation, and criteria for successful implementation and evalua-
tion. Second, it points to the critical role of the digital divide in shaping social and
spatial access to e-government. Third, it offers sketches of the contrasting expe-
riences of e-government at the national and local scales among the world's major
regions to demonstrate the plethora of types, levels, and consequences.
