E-government as anti-corruption tool: insights from a systematic literature review

Existing literature examining the relationship between e-government and corruption provides valuable insights but remains fragmented, with limited systematic efforts to consolidate findings across technological, institutional, and contextual dimensions. Few studies have comprehensively mapped how digital transformation reshapes public integrity, administrative behaviour, and governance outcomes, particularly in emerging and transitional environments where digital adoption is rapidly evolving. This gap informed the present systematic review, which analysed 45 peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from Scopus, published between 2011 and 2024. Following the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), the review employed thematic analysis to classify the literature into four overarching themes: the impact of e-government on corruption, technologies and their effects, e-government in different contexts, and broader implications and future research. The findings reveal that while e-government holds significant potential to reduce corruption through transparency, automation, and process standardization, its effectiveness is highly dependent on governance quality, institutional capacity, and inclusiveness of digital systems. This review offers theoretical and practical recommendations to guide policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in advancing effective and equitable digital governance reforms.