IN E-GOVERNMENT WE TRUST? CORRELATING FACTORS OF E-GOVERNMENT USE IN THE WESTERN BALKAN AND EU COUNTRIES

Abstract

The e-Government form of governing is thought to enable transparency, efficiency and develop user-centered public services delivery. Usage of e-Government services is seen as one of the prerequisites for full participation in society. However, the success of e-Government is contingent on a combination of factors that determine people’s willingness to use e-Government services. Previous research finds trust in government to be one of the key predictors of e-Government use. In this study we test the relationship of trust in government and e-Government usage, also including factors of digital inclusion. We focus on European Union countries and the less studied Western Balkan (WB) countries in the attempt to give an overview of the whole European region. For this purpose, we employ comparable secondary data from reliable datasets following standardized methodology for the EU and the WB countries. We performed a correlation and regression analysis to first test the trust in government and e-Government usage relationship and control the effects by adding two factors of digital inclusion and GDP per capita. The findings problematize and develop the relationship of trust in government, digital inclusion, and e-Government usage.