The Role of E-Government in the Evaluation of the Quality of Governance in the Countries of the European Union

Abstract

E-government is a tool that uses information and communication technologies to increase the transparency of public administration and thus supports the accountability of administrative bodies and ensures their proper operation and compliance with the law. Thanks to the use of information and communication
technologies, citizens are given access to information on various activities and how state and local governments manage public resources. The prevailing view is that the use of the internet holds great promise for both better citizen participation and democratic governance, as it gives citizens access to public information and communication with government officials and promotes better accountability of public officials to the public. Well-designed e-government services have the potential to change the quality and efficiency of public service delivery and public administration. Not all authors are convinced of the positive benefits of using e-government for public administration and its clients. Many authors argue that citizens prefer traditional communication channels and that modern technologies complicate the way they communicate with public administration. Finally, the impact of information technologies on public administration and its customers can often be difficult to identify because technologies are constantly evolving and modernising. The evaluation of these modern services requires some time due to the delay between the introduction of technological innovations and its observable benefits. This paper aims to examine the relationship between a country’s quality of governance and the level of e-government use. The analysis specifically seeks to answer the following questions: is the quality of governance affected by the use of e-government in EU member states in the period 2003–2020 and if so, how?