Assessing local e-government

Several scholars and practitioners argue that the most important interaction between citizens and government happens through local government agencies. This relationship could become closer and more frequent with the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, very few studies have focused on understanding the use of ICTs in the local governments of developing countries. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence about the status of Mexican local governments in terms of their use of ICTs. It is based on an exploratory online survey administered to 108 local governments and 59 interviews with local government chief information officers (CIOs). The study concludes that there are important limitations related to infrastructure, use of software, and the development of their websites. This paper presents the main findings of this exploratory research and provides some practical recommendations.