Does e-government integration contribute to the quality and equality of local public services? Empirical evidence from China

Integrated e-government at different scales plays an increasingly important role in local public services worldwide. This study uses panel data from 31 provincial e-governments in China from 2015 to 2020 to investigate the effects of the intraprovincial e-government integration on the provincial quality and interprovincial equality of public services. The results show that integrated e-government effectively contributes to the quality and equality of public services. Mechanistic tests reveal that integrated e-government promotes service quality by improving administrative efficiency and supporting technological innovation. Under central government support, integrated e-government also improves the interprovincial equality of public services by reducing administrative inefficiency from decentralization and promoting technology diffusion. Moreover, e-government integration is a stronger driver of service quality and equality for provinces with low fiscal transparency. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights for promoting public service quality and equality through collaborative e-government.