Do natural resources influence E-government in developing countries? Effects and transmission channels

E-government has taken a prominent place in the political and economic debate. Despite the vast nonconsensual literature, on the effects of natural resources, very little is known about the effects of these resources on the development of e-government. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the effect of natural resources on the development of e-government in a panel of 121 developing countries over the period 2003–2021. Through several empirical approaches, our results show that, on average, natural resource rents negatively affect the development of e-government. Distinguishing between different types of natural resources, we note that the negative effect of natural resources on the development of e-government remains, and the magnitude is more persistent for forestry, gas and oil rents. Furthermore, the mediation analysis suggests that the negative effect of natural resources on the development of e-government is influenced by trust in institutions, the size of the informal sector, corruption, and the quality of telecommunications infrastructures.

Authors: Foudjo Suzie Imelda a, Ndikeu Njoya Nabil Aman b, Keneck-Massil Joseph
ScienceDirect
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301420724007165…