E-government, e-business, and national economic performance

Recent years have witnessed rapid developments in e-government as well as e-business within nations across the world. Although both e-government and e-business contribute toward national economic performance, few studies have analyzed the two jointly in a single research model. Using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and the literature on information and communication technology (ICT) impact; we empirically examine facilitators of e-government and e-business development, the relationship between e-government and e-business, and their collective impact on national economic performance. Our results, which emphasize the differential importance of factors associated with the development of e-government and e-business, can be used by national policy makers for designing effective ICT policies. Specifically, national ICT infrastructure appears to be important for both e-government and e-business. Quality of national human capital emerges as a significant facilitator for e-government but not for e-business, whereas national environment (institutional and macro-economic) appears to be the key enabler for e-business, but not for e-government. Our findings demonstrate the significant and intertwined roles of e-government and e-business in enhancing the national economic performance. With a view to enhancing national economic gains, this research suggests that policy makers should consider measures to enhance development of e-government and e-business collectively rather than in silos. © 2010 by the authors.