Geographies of e-Government in Europe

Abstract

Government use of the internet – e-government – varies considerably in its degrees of sophistication. This article explores the spatiality of e-government in Europe. It first situates the topic within wider theorizations of geographies of cyberspace. Second, it reviews e-government and its implications. Third, it turns to the digital divide in Europe. Fourth, it maps national e-government readiness and e-participation scores and correlates them with socio-economic measures. Fifth, it provides several overviews of successful West European e-government programs. It concludes by emphasizing that e-government must be approached geographically in a manner tailored to different national contexts.