The social relations of e-government diffusion in developing countries: the case of Rwanda

Rwanda has undergone a rapid turnaround from one of the most technologically deficient countries only a decade ago to a country where legislative business is conducted online and wireless access to the Internet is available anywhere in the country. This is puzzling when viewed against the limited progress made in other comparable developing countries, especially those located in the same region, sub-Saharan Africa, where the structural and institutional constraints to e-government diffusion are similar. Based on an exploratory case study of the country's e-government system that draws on group and social theories, I argue that the convergence of four factors associated with the policy environment, political leadership, emigrants and refugee returnees, and epistemic communities account for Rwanda's achievements. The primacy of interest group politics in the unfolding story of e-government diffusion in developing countries is underscored and potential areas for further research highlighted.