E-Government, Corruption Reduction and the Role of Culture: A Study Based on Panel Data of 57 Countries

Using a panel dataset gathered from 57 countries over the period 2003 to 2014, this paper examines the impact of cultural factors on the relationship between e-government development and corruption. The analysis reveals that e-government development have a weak and positive impact on the corruption levels across all countries but varied according to the different cultural factors. Based on the cultural typology of the GLOBE project, the authors found that e-government development was more effective in reducing corruption in countries with certain cultural characteristics. Cultures that put less emphasis on controlling uncertainty shared power more equally among members, valued individualism, and focused more on future development were more favorable to e-government development than others. Finally, they discussed the cultural implications on e-planning.