Technology Aspects of E-Government Readiness in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature

The rapid global growth of the Internet and information technology has inspired many governments to transform their traditional services into electronic ones. Many governments are now developing, implementing and improving their strategies to transform government services using information and communication technologies (ICTs). E-Government, as it is known, has become a popular focus of government efforts in many developed countries and, more recently, in several developing countries. Further, e-government services have become a significant and active means for interaction among government, citizens and businesses. E-government comprises several dimensions, one of the main ones being e-government readiness. To put technology to effective use, a government must be “ready”. E-government readiness helps a government to measure its stages of readiness, identify its gaps, and then redesign its government strategy. One of the aspects of egovernment readiness is that of technological readiness, which plays an important role in implementing an effective and efficient egovernment project. This paper explores the gaps in current knowledge relating to the technological aspects of e-government readiness through the conduct of a literature review. In particular, the review focuses on the models and frameworks that have been developed to assess e-government readiness.