E-government in China: deployment and driving forces of provincial government portals

Many countries expect e-government to increase the efficiency of public administration and revitalize government-citizen interaction. This paper reviews the existing research on e-government and expands it with a detailed examination of China, where e-government development is considered an important component of the national informatization strategy. To assess the status and driving factors of deployment, a detailed inventory of the e-government capacities of all Chinese provinces was created, allowing a more nuanced assessment than earlier studies. Although the data reveal that information delivery and basic interactional and communicative features dominate, the study also finds a range of advanced transactional and participatory services offered. Furthermore, despite strong guidance by the central government, distinct regional disparities are visible; these can be explained by differences in government spending on science and technology, economic resources, education, and urbanization rate.