ICT Investment Impacts on Future Levels of Democracy, Corruption, and E-Government Acceptance in Emerging Countries

Structuration theory and the theory of network society are used to guide an investigation of the extent to which ICT investments in emerging countries impact future levels of democracy, corruption, and egovernment acceptance. Using structural path modeling and data from fifty emerging economies, this paper finds that an emerging country’s acceptance of the e-government paradigm is contingent upon its levels of corruption and institutionalized democracy, which in turn are contingent upon the country’s ICT investment levels. The specific details and implications of these findings for policy-makers are discussed.