Public IT Policies in Less Developed Countries: A Critical Assessment of the Literature and a Reference Framework for Future Work

How well do extant diffusion models originating in developed countries explain adoption of information technologies in less developed countries? What is the current status of the literature with respect to public IT policies? The authors explore the literature on public IT policies to answer these questions. Findings indicate that, due to differences in environmental factors, existing models may not be readily applicable to less developed countries without careful consideration of the structural differences between developed countries –where most models originated– and less developed countries. Within extant studies of public IT policies, this article identifies typical research characteristics – e.g., case study methodologies, single country selection, single project scope, and little theory development. Finally, an integrative framework for the rationalization of existing models is proposed.