The impact of e-government on economic growth in GCC countries

Abstract

This study is the first to empirically examine the impact of e-government on economic growth in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The dataset used in the study covers the period 2003-2018 and is obtained from the World Development Indicators and the United Nations E-Government knowledgebase. The conducted empirical analysis brings out many interesting findings. First, there is evidence that the e-government development stimulated economic growth in GCC during the last two decades. Second, when considering the different components of e-government, it has been shown that only the Online Service Index and the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index have positive effects on economic growth. Finally, it has been also revealed that out from six countries, the positive impact of e-government is proved in only four countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In Oman and Qatar, the effect is not statistically significant. Global and country-specific policy recommendations are accordingly presented.