Abstract

Governments continue investing in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and e-services have become governments’ priority. But research shows that e-services implementation accentuate inequalities. Using a study of egovernment implementation in Lebanon as a background, this paper shows that e-government will lead to a system where only privileged segments of the population may have access to the government e-services. Thus, government online services implementation will create three types of inequalities: (1) inequality in access to ICTs and e-services, (2) inequality in the ability to use ICT and e-services among those who have access, and (3) inequality between those who will accept to use eservices and those who will not. What are the reasons of this e-services divide? The aim of this study is to explore the reasons of these three inequalities. Results show that reducing the gap can enhance the value of services to the citizen which dramatically increase e-services Take-Up.

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