E-government Maturity over 10 Years: A Comparative Analysis of E-government Maturity in Select Countries Around the World

Abstract

Over the past decade, we have seen a revolution in the provision of e-government services to citizens. While information communication technologies (ICT) make it possible to develop and deploy e-government services, there are remarkable differences in the reasons behind varying levels of e-government use in different countries. While developed countries, e.g., United States and many European countries, have advanced ICT infrastructures, e-government services usage by citizens is still limited. Developing countries are still struggling to develop and deploy basic infrastructure for ICT, which limits people’s ability to use e-government services that have already been developed. This contrast presents a unique set of issues, which poses challenges to citizens to efficiently and effectively use e-government services. This study examines several developed and developing countries from six continents around the globe on the basis of their past and current e-government initiatives, discuss goals, and objectives as well as benefits and challenges of e-government. The countries we examine include: United States and Canada (North America); United Kingdom and Germany (Europe); India, and Pakistan (Asia); Australia and New Zealand (Australia); Kenya and Nigeria (Africa); Argentina and Brazil (South America). We use published, archival, and current reports to examine the e-government maturity in each of the countries. Understanding the trends and challenges in e-government will help policy makers, developers, and service providers design and deliver better e-government services.