E-government: the ''fit'' between supply assumptions and usage drivers

Governments around the world are recognising the potential of the internet to deliver services to their citizens in a timely, cost-effective manner. Whilst stages of evolution and scope of G2C e-services have been widely benchmarked, independent definitions and measures of success are more elusive. In this paper, we propose that progress should be evaluated in terms of both provision and usage and suggest that hitherto the "fit" between supply assumptions and usage drivers has been explored inadequately. By contrasting two countries at similar stages of evolution, we illuminate critical factors influencing adoption and suggest that human elements such as citizen-centricity, sociological factors, attitudinal orientations, political cynicism and philosophical preferences/convictions may all be influential. We conclude that societal and social issues may be key to truly successful e-government and that measures of success should shift in focus from provision to usage. In doing so, we proffer a model of "e-government usage drivers" as a basis for future, holistic benchmarking of e-government progress.