Unveiling the Role of Political Regime: How E-Governance Shapes Quality of Governance in Democratic and Non-Democratic Countries

This chapter examines the influence of e-governance on the quality of governance (QoG) in democracies and non-democracies. Previous studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding this relationship, overlooking the potential moderating role of political regime. To address this gap, I present a theoretical framework based on the different institutional contexts and motivations of political leaders in democracies and non-democracies. By considering the limitations of prior research methodologies, I conduct a panel analysis covering 179 countries from 2009 to 2021. Surprisingly, the findings reveal that non-democracies benefit from e-governance more, with e-government development and e-participation level having higher impact on administrative effectiveness than in democracies. Thus, the study confirms that political regime acts as a significant moderating variable in the relationship between e-governance and government effectiveness, though in quite an unexpectable way. These results contribute to the debate between technological optimists and pessimists, suggesting that the effects of e-governance on QoG vary depending on the political context, highlighting both the limitations and potential benefits of technology in governance processes.