Key issues and challenges in e-government development: An integrative case study of the number one eCity in the Arab World

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify and study the key issues and challenges facing e-government development from an integrative perspective, and to provide strategies and policy recommendations to address them in a broad and holistic way. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the key issues in e-government development, the authors took an integrative approach built on several existing theories and research. The authors conducted an empirical case study of Dubai. The data collection methods included documentary research; reviewing the major websites of Dubai government entities; and interviewing 22 e-government stakeholders. The authors have identified a variety of important issues and challenges facing e-government development in Dubai. Of them, they focus on language issues on websites, e-integration, uptake of e-government services and the digital divide, and quality of Dubai e-government websites and e-services. Given that Dubai was ranked the number one eCity in the Arab World and the eighteenth in the world in e-government implementation, this insightful case study has wider implications. It contributes to a better understanding of the key issues in e-government development in the Arab nations. The broad and holistic strategies developed through this study address the root causes of the issues, which could help governments not only in Dubai but also in other countries in their policy making. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first integrative and empirical study that explores the key issues and challenges in e-government development through studying e-government experiences of Dubai from both supply and demand perspectives.