Virtual Social Networks as Public Sphere: Relating E-government Maturity, ICT Laws, and Corruption

Part 4: Security, Privacy, Ethics and MisinformationInternational audienceThe role of e-government in reducing corruption is an active area of research in information systems (IS). Drawing on the concept of public sphere from political science literature, we seek to explore how the diffusion of virtual social networks (VSNs) influence the relationships between e-government maturity in a country, its ICT laws and corruption. Our analyses based on publicly available archival data substantiates the (1) relationship between e-government maturity in a country and its corruption through the indirect effect of ICT laws; (2) interaction effect of VSN diffusion in a country on its e-government maturity and ICT laws; and (3) interaction effect of VSN diffusion in a country on its ICT laws and corruption. The key contribution of this research is the reestablishment of the idea of public sphere in the context of VSN diffusion, and how it affects e-government outcomes of a country