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Article
Publication date: 25 February 2014

Fang Zhao, Alan Collier and Hepu Deng

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the digital divide on e-government development.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the digital divide on e-government development.

Design/methodology/approach

The study takes a multidimensional and integrative approach in order to examine the various ways in which different contextual factors affecting the digital divide (i.e. economic, social, political, demographic, cultural and ICT infrastructure) interact to influence e-government development. To test the hypotheses, authors perform a correlation and multiple regression analysis using SPSS.

Findings

After analysing several global data sets such as those of the World Bank and the United Nations, the study finds that the digital divide is a multidimensional construct that has a significant impact on e-government development in various ways. In contrast to the consensus view of a correlation existing between economic status on the one hand, and the digital divide and e-government development on the other, this study finds that economic status is not a significant predictor of the digital divide or e-government development.

Practical implications

The findings should help inform public policy makers when developing strategies to deal with issues of the digital divide and e-government development by encouraging analysis in a holistic and integrative way. Simply addressing the digital divide alone is unlikely to be sufficient to stimulate an increase in the uptake of e-government. Moreover, our model helps identify areas of strengths as well as weaknesses for improvement.

Originality/value

The authors develop a multidimensional and integrative research model to study the digital divide and e-government development and the relationship between the two, and validate the model through systematically testing it with empirical data. This study is among the first to take such an approach.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 May 2020

Farooq Mubarak, Reima Suomi and Satu-Päivi Kantola

This study aims to statistically verify the links of income and education with information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion across 191 countries of the world taking…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to statistically verify the links of income and education with information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion across 191 countries of the world taking into account a total of 9 indicators best representing the socio-economic variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Multivariate regression analysis was used as a prime method to rigorously test the relationships of income and education with ICT diffusion across 191 countries. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (V. 22) was used to analyze and predict patterns in the data.

Findings

The results support the hypotheses that income and education are positively related to ICT diffusion. The findings statistically confirm that poverty is a leading cause of digital divide worldwide.

Research limitations/implications

Academic, policy and practice groups should work in collaboration to fight against digital divide. Present results also imply that digital divide shall never end but rather it can be controlled to an extent with multiple collaborative efforts.

Originality/value

Prior research assignments on the digital divide concentrate on exploring the links between few socio-economic and ICT variables in select few regions theoretically. The present work addresses this literature gap by developing and testing two hypotheses to statistically investigate the relationships between a broad set of socio-economic and ICT indicators.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 23 June 2022

Sofia Alexopoulou, Joachim Åström and Martin Karlsson

Technology access, digital skills, and digital services are increasingly prerequisites for public life and accessing public services. The digital divide in contemporary societies…

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Abstract

Purpose

Technology access, digital skills, and digital services are increasingly prerequisites for public life and accessing public services. The digital divide in contemporary societies matters for efforts to digitalize the welfare state. Research has already mapped individual determinants of digital exclusion and the existence of an age-related digital divide. However, far less attention has been paid to variations in digital inclusion between countries and to their potential explanations related to political systems. This study explores the influence of variations in welfare regimes on the digital divide among seniors (aged 65+) in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

This article presents time-series cross-sectional analyses of the relationship between welfare state regimes and digital inclusion among seniors in European countries. The analyses are based on data from Eurostat, the World Bank, and the UN E-Government Survey.

Findings

The authors find extensive variation in the digital inclusion of citizens between welfare regimes and argue that considering regime differences improves the understanding of these variations. The findings indicate that the age-related digital divide seems to be least evident in countries with more universalistic welfare regimes and most evident in countries where seniors rely more on their families.

Originality/value

This is the first comparative study of the association between welfare state regimes and digital inclusion among seniors.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 35 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 October 2023

Kasmad Ariansyah, Ahmad Budi Setiawan, Darmanto, Daru Nupikso, Syarif Budhirianto, Dayat Hidayat and Alfin Hikmaturokhman

This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the use of e-government services among male and female samples, aiming at gaining a deeper understanding of how to…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the use of e-government services among male and female samples, aiming at gaining a deeper understanding of how to promote digital inclusion and maximize the benefits of digitalization.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses binomial logistic regression modeling on two data sets: a nationwide survey at the individual level of 8,854 usable samples conducted in 2019 and village potential statistics.

Findings

The survey indicates low adoption and use of e-government services among both males and females. The statistical analysis further reveals that although there might be some variations in the influencing factors between the genders, the overall patterns are similar. These findings suggest that the low adoption and use of e-government services among males and females can be attributed to factors such as misperceptions about internet-based services, resulting in low motivation to use the services, inadequate internet connectivity, affordability, limited digital skills and exposure to harmful online content.

Originality/value

This study conducts a gender-disaggregated analysis to determine whether the antecedents of males’ decisions to adopt e-government services differ from those of females. Such a study is underrepresented in the extant literature, particularly in the context of e-government service use.

Details

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2021

Sophia Kaitatzi-Whitlock

In the face of the enormous rise in digital fraud and criminality, resulting in diverse afflictions to millions of user-victims, emanating from users’ horizontal interactive and…

Abstract

Purpose

In the face of the enormous rise in digital fraud and criminality, resulting in diverse afflictions to millions of user-victims, emanating from users’ horizontal interactive and transactive exchanges on the internet, but due significantly to internet’s deregulation and anonymity, this study aims to showcase the need for a socially grounded self-regulation. It holds, that this is feasible and that it can be achieved through large scale, comprehensive digital communication education (DCE) programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The composite methodology of the study comprises four types of components, namely, analytic, exploratory-discursive, constructionist and propositional. The construction-creation element consists of the design of an original combinational research tool: triangular relational pattern (TRP). Through TRPs, researchers can locate the types of relations involved between three implicated entities, namely, the affliction, the culprit and the victim and can study them in-depth. Subsequently, based on the TRP, DCE programs are composed, which are, also, proposed to be deployed by educational authorities and digital civil society associations.

Findings

The created, applied here and proposed TRPs can be used by other researchers aiming to locate, map and analyze the variants of internet criminality and victimhood and their implications across the global frontierless world and in the digital human condition, educational purposes but also to create social cohesion.

Originality/value

The study offers two original contributions. The TRP as a significant relational research tool-grid. The DCE programs that are linked to the repertories of digital relations and can be introduced in the general education programs.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 19 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 November 2018

Mingli Mei, Ru Zhao and Miaochen Zhu

This study investigated four different economic level areas of China (Shanghai, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Guizhou) to analyze the eastern and western urban and rural media service…

Abstract

This study investigated four different economic level areas of China (Shanghai, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Guizhou) to analyze the eastern and western urban and rural media service status at different development stages. This set of data comes from the comparison of regional urban and rural areas and indicates the various aspects of differences in the survey area, including the media use habits, media resources, media consumer demand, evaluation of media services, the role of media in public life, public knowledge level, and so on. On analyzing data comprehensively, one thing can be found that there is a positive correlation between the public media contact degree and the public knowledge level. The media plays an extremely important role in public life and regional public knowledge gap between urban and rural areas exists. Furthermore, this gap is positively correlated to the media resources and media exposure. The trend of media using on mobile phone and computer in urban areas increases significantly greater than in rural areas. Then, how to narrow the urban–rural and regional public knowledge gap and reduce the negative impact of the digital divide will be an important urgent task.

Abstract

Details

Beyond the Digital Divide: Contextualizing the Information Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-548-7

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2015

Fang Zhao, Joseph Wallis and Mohini Singh

– The purpose of this paper is to capture and understand the nature of the relationship between e-government development and the digital economy.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to capture and understand the nature of the relationship between e-government development and the digital economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and Fountain’s technology enactment theory, a multidimensional research model was developed. The model was tested empirically through an international study of 67 countries using reputable archival data, primarily including the UN’s e-government survey and the Economist Intelligence Unit’s digital economy rankings.

Findings

The empirical findings indicate a strong positive reciprocal (two-way) relationship between e-government development and the digital economy. This finding provides empirical evidence to support the general notion of “co-evolution” between technology and organisations. The study also finds that along with social, economic, political, technological and demographic factors, certain national cultural characteristics have significant effects on the digital economy and e-government development.

Research limitations/implications

Relying on archival global data sets, this study is constrained by the coverage and formulation of the data set indices, the sample size (67 countries), and the impossibility of detecting errors that may occur in the process of data collection. Therefore, caution should be taken when making generalisations about the findings of this study.

Originality/value

The paper addresses a deficit of empirical research that is supported by sound and established theories to explain short-term dynamics and the long-term impact of the digital economy on public administration. The study contributes to a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the dynamic relationship between e-government development and the digital economy.

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2021

Najeh Aissaoui

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has exposed the digital divide (DD) like never before and has made it a hot topic of actuality. In this paper, a state of the art of research studies that…

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Abstract

Purpose

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has exposed the digital divide (DD) like never before and has made it a hot topic of actuality. In this paper, a state of the art of research studies that dealt with the three levels of the digital divide and highlight its shortcomings in light of COVID-19 are presented.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrative literature review was conducted, summarizing the rich literature on the digital divide by presenting its key concepts and findings. This study then provides suggestions for future research in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

It can be concluded that the digital divide is insufficiently exposed and examined by researchers. In fact, in recent years, very few research studies have focused on the first-level divide. Moreover, much of the literature has analyzed the second digital divide (in terms of e-skills) in the strict sense and at the national level. This review also shows that the existing studies on the third level-digital divide deal only with the individual results of using the Internet. Finally, future research on the three-level digital divide should study more digital inequality related to emerging technologies is proposed.

Research limitations/implications

This paper draws up a state of art, which has important theoretical and practical implications in the effectiveness of full transformation to digitalization.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to digital inequality research by summarizing key concepts and findings from the literature of the three levels of the digital divide. It highlights the unexplored research topics on some dimensions of DD which were behind the digital transformation failure in many countries and provides insights on future research directions in light of COVID-19.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 71 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 June 2024

Kangjuan Lv, Ye Zhao, Siwei Zhu and Lei Zhu

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between digital transformation and labor structure from the perspectives of microenterprise business strategies and factor allocation…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between digital transformation and labor structure from the perspectives of microenterprise business strategies and factor allocation efficiency. It attempts to address the gap in existing research by explaining the impact of digital transformation on multidimensional workforce structures and the positive effects of this structural adjustment on labor allocation efficiency. In addition, the study further explores the economic ramifications of digital transformation, clarifying the correlation between changes in labor force structure and enterprise human resource allocation, thus enhancing the employment mobility effects of digital innovation at the enterprise level.

Design/methodology/approach

In contrast to prior research, our approach uses text analytics to assess the internal labor structure, incorporating labor skill, position and age into the analytical framework. This approach yields a more comprehensive data set, shedding light on variations in multidimensional employment structures.

Findings

The paper asserts that digital transformation significantly influences labor structure changes, evidenced by increased proportions of high-skilled, non-routine and younger laborers, as well as decreased shares of low-skilled, routine and older-age workers. Furthermore, it captures internal labor structure impacts, influenced by enterprise size, ownership, industry density and regional digitization levels. Mechanism analysis indicates moderation of digital transformation effects on labor structure by innovative tasks, labor productivity and management shareholding.

Social implications

The paper reveals the specific impact of corporate digital transformation on workforce structure, enriching the employment mobility effects of digital innovation at the enterprise level and providing theoretical support for the formulation and implementation of relevant policies.

Originality/value

First, this paper delves into the impact of digital transformation on the internal labor structure from a microlevel perspective, elucidating its mechanisms. Second, in contrast to prior research, it uses text analytics to assess the internal labor structure, incorporating labor skill, position and age into the analytical framework. This approach yields a more comprehensive data set, shedding light on variations in multidimensional employment structures. Lastly, the study investigates the economic ramifications of shifts in employment structures. The findings of this study furnish novel empirical evidence for the debate regarding whether digital transformation can indeed enhance labor allocation efficiency.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

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