E-Government and Corruption: A Cross-Country Analysis

In addition to other benefits, e-Government can help alleviate corruption in nations by reducing the existing information asymmetries. Though governments are interested in understanding the impacts of e-Government on the level of national corruption, there are relatively few empirical studies that analyze this aspect. Motivated by this gap, we first develop a theoretical model for eGovernment impacting the level of corruption in a nation, mediated by a reduction in information asymmetry between public officials and citizens. As an initial step, in this research-in-progress paper, using secondary data from 113 countries, we examine the relationship between eGovernment development and the level of corruption in nations. Broadly, the study suggests the important significant relationship of e-Government development with the level of national corruption. Future research will test the mediated model to understand “how” e-Government impacts corruption through a reduction of information asymmetries between the various national stakeholders.