Interpreting e-government and development: Efficiency, transparency or governance at a distance?

Purpose – The paper aims to show, through the case of Jordan, how e‐government is difficult to implement, given the characteristics of the local administration, the socio‐economic context and the dynamics of the technological infrastructure. It also aims to ascertain more generally whether the marketisation of the state, embedded in e‐government, makes sense as the paramount approach to improve democracy and foster development.Design/methodology/approach – Describes how the Kingdom of Jordan, as a case study of an innovative and extensive application of e‐government ideas and models, provides a paradigmatic example of how ICTs are being introduced in economically less developed countries and identifies the risks of failure in implementation. Based on the empirical evidence provided by the case, examines the more general implications of e‐government and new public management in the transformation of the relationship between the state and citizen.Findings – The transformation of citizens into customers is p...

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