A Novel Approach to Regional E-government Measurement: The Case of Georgia

In the realm of scholarly inquiry, the domain of e-government development and its concomitant impact assessment has consistently garnered substantial attention. Notably, various international entities have devised a framework known as the “Electronic Government Development Index” (EGDI) for evaluating the advancement of electronic governance. Nevertheless, these indices have faced considerable critique within the academic community. In this study, we extend upon the foundation laid by extant international indices and construct a novel index. Our approach involves the incorporation of novel, context-specific components, enhancing the precision of e-government measurement at the regional level. The subcriteria derived from this novel model exhibit favorable correlations, thereby affirming the robustness and credibility of our novel framework. It is imperative to underscore that our research primarily centers on the case study of Georgia. Additionally, our article takes a novel regional perspective in exploring the current landscape of e-government development. We provide a comprehensive analysis of various components to present an overall view and introduce an innovative approach to e-government measurement in the academic realm. Furthermore, our paper sheds light on the potential and characteristics of implementing and advancing e-government initiatives at the regional level. The comprehensive research, analysis, conclusions, results, and general insights into regional e-governance presented in this study hold significance not only for developing countries but also for developed countries as well.