G-8 collaborative initiatives and the digital divide: readiness for e-government

Abstract

At the G-8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in July 2000, the industrialized nations acknowledged the advancement of the private sector in information technology (IT) and committed the organization to the Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) of the World Economic Forum Task Force. The Task Force outlined nine initiatives and a set of concrete action plans for implementation, which may achieve e-government readiness in developing countries. Major cultural variables, however, threaten to impede or thwart the facilitation of e-government, even though many countries promote e-government policies. To examine the G-8's first effort to implement collaborative policy initiatives of the private, public and non-profit sectors to eliminate the global digital divide, this paper explores the relationship between six cultural variables and the implementation of the GDDI to alleviate the digital divide and effect e-government readiness in developing countries.