The trend of e-democracy research: summary evidence and implications

The concept of e-democracy, although relatively new has received enormous attention in research especially with the global proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICT). Understanding such an emerging field of research with poorly defined boundaries, and constantly in the state of definition, redefinition, and evolution, is a crucial endeavor. We therefore seek to conduct a review of 158 articles of e-democracy published research, analyzing the progress in the research subject and reviewing the current trend and directions of the research. A grounded analysis of the selected articles led to the identification of critical knowledge gaps, recurring themes, and a roadmap that indicates the current state of e-democracy for development research. This will guide researchers and practitioners in this emerging field of study.