Critical constraints on high performance of provincial E-governments in China: A necessary condition analysis

Abstract

While widely recognized as a potent instrument for improving public service delivery, enhancing e-government performance remains challenging. This study employs necessary condition analysis (NCA) to identify “bottleneck” causes (NCs) for e-government performance. Drawing from the Resource-Based View and Institutional Theory, we categorize nine potential NCs within a supply-and-demand framework. High levels of GDP per capita, digital infrastructures, managerial innovativeness, and urbanization are prerequisites for attaining high levels of e-government performance across China's 31 provinces. To support as many provinces as possible, national policymakers should prioritize limited resources to tackle two “relatively important” barriers: digital infrastructures and managerial innovativeness. Individual provinces can focus on addressing specific critical constraints that hinder the desired e-government performance levels.