E-Government as a Tool for Human Development: The Moderating Influence of National Culture

ABSTRACT Given the paucity of quantitative studies investigating the potential of E-Government (EGOV) in enabling national development, our study first attempts to explore EGOV as a potential tool for countries to fulfill their Human Development goals. Toward this, we employ modernization theory and human development perspective to draw the theoretical linkages between EGOV and Human Development. Acknowledging the influence of contextual factors on differential EGOV impacts, we further make use of Schwartz’s cultural values theory to understand the influence of national culture on the EGOV-Human Development relationship. Using archival data for 70 countries, our study specifically provides empirical evidence of EGOV as a significant enabler of Human Development. Besides, our results also highlight the negative moderating influence of Autonomy-Embeddedness on the EGOV-Human Development relationship. Our findings, therefore, suggest the need for appropriate management of contextual factors. Based on these findings, we derive theoretical and managerial implications and identify avenues for future research.