A Holistic Analysis Approach to Social, Technical, and Socio-Technical Aspect of E-Government Development

Recently, a new trend has been emerging in understanding the differences in the implementation of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in the context of e-government between the developing and developed world. The two are broadly distinct in their characteristics of implementation due to differences in the diffusion and speed of technology patterns combined with efforts to bridge the digital divide. This leads to the objective of this paper, understanding the dynamic effects intertwining diverse aspects—social, technical, and socio-technical—on the development of e-government. However, current research still lacks a holistic perspective in comprehending how social, technical and socio-technical dimensions interact or promote the development of e-government system in a given state. This paper uses a panel dataset gathered from the World Bank, UN, and ITU databases. The research results highlight the need to look at the development of e-government through a more holistic approach rather than an atomistic single-cause approach. The results also indicate that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and a more effective e-government master plan should take into consideration the technical side of e-government development and also reflect social and, most importantly, socio-technical considerations and its holistic implication for the development of e-government systems in a given state.