E-government as a Democratic Catalyst: Evidence from OECD Countries (2006–2024)
E-government as a Democratic Catalyst: Evidence from OECD Countries (2006–2024)

Summary/Abstract: This study investigates the causal relationship between e-government development and democracy across 38 OECD countries over the period 2006–2024. While the administrative benefits of e-government such as efficiency gains, cost reduction, and improved service delivery are well established, its broader implications for democratic governance remain less explored. This paper addresses that gap by asking whether advancements in e-government contribute to strengthening democratic performance. Specifically, it examines whether progress in the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is associated with measurable improvements in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index (EIU). The analysis is grounded in multiple theoretical perspectives. Institutional Theory highlights how digital reforms are often motivated by legitimacy-seeking behavior and embedded within broader governance structures. Meanwhile user-centered frameworks such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) explain how citizens adopt and engage with e-government services. Taken together, these frameworks suggest that the democratic impact of e-government depends not only on institutional design but also on citizen trust, digital literacy, and social inclusion. Methodologically, the study applies a panel data approach and employs advanced panel econometric techniques, including tests for cross-sectional dependence, unit roots, slope heterogeneity, cointegration, and Dumitrescu-Hurlin Granger causality. The results demonstrate a clear unidirectional relationship: improvements in e-government statistically precede and predict gains in democratic quality, particularly in transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. No evidence is found for the reverse relationship. These findings carry important implications for both scholarship and policy. They empirically suggest that digital transformation can serve as a predictive driver for democratic strengthening, but primarily in contexts with participatory and rule-based systems, as found in OECD countries. At the same time, the study cautions that such outcomes may not materialize in nonOECD contexts, where weaker institutions, lower digital literacy, or symbolic adoption of digital reforms may limit democratic benefits. Policymakers are therefore encouraged to move beyond technical deployment and prioritize inclusive, citizen-centered digital strategies that reduce participation gaps and safeguard democratic values. By integrating theoretical perspectives with robust empirical evidence, this research contributes to closing a key gap in the literature and offers actionable insights into how digital governance can reinforce democratic resilience.

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