Theory Development in Digital Government Research: Status and Ways Forward

Researchers within the digital government domain have debated if the domain is under-theorized. With a surge in publications over the past decade, examining its theoretical progress is timely. This reflection paper assessed theory development in digital government research based on a literature review of 41 articles in leading digital government journals. Our findings revealed a preponderance of theoretical extensions based on theories in other domains as well as “unfinished” digital government theories, indicating a need for further development and refinement of the domain’s theories. We further posit that theory testing is a necessary step towards strengthening the theoretical underpinnings of digital government research, and calls for more empirical work to validate, challenge, and refine existing theories, fostering the establishment of a solid theoretical foundation for the domain. In addition, we make suggestions for further research.