The Relationship between E-government and Corruption: A Panel Data Study

This study focuses on the relationship between e-government and corruption, which is a well-debated subject in information systems (IS) research. While numerous past studies argued and examined the impact of e-government development on corruption, the reverse effect (i.e., the impact of corruption on e-government) remains underexplored. There is also a paucity of research on bidirectional relationships. Further, although corruption and e-government change over time, we know relatively little about whether the aspect of change has a significant influence on the “corruption—government” phenomenon. To address these gaps, this study draws on the theory of moral intensity and examines the impact of change in corruption on e-government maturity and vice versa. A panel data analysis was conducted by collecting archival data from 172 countries for five business cycles. The preliminary results indicate possible support for hypotheses. A sophisticated methodology will be adopted in the final study to revalidate the hypotheses.