The Role of Context in IS Research: A Review of E-government Research in Developing Economies

Abstract

In this paper, we respond to recent calls for more attention to context in information systems (IS) research. We argue that considering context is of crucial importance when researching IS implementations in developing economies, especially those involving e-government implementations. Using a thematic literature review, we identify four properties of context which have been referenced in research of e-government implementations in developing economies. The paper joins previous calls for increased context-awareness in IS research by drawing attention to the merit of emphasizing properties of context. Future e-government research should consider pursuing discovery of more context-specific mechanisms from developing economies setting, which will enrich the understanding of implementation of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D).