IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/poprpr/v42y2023i4d10.1007_s11113-023-09808-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

E-government in Depopulated Rural Areas. An Approach to the Reality of Spanish Municipalities

Author

Listed:
  • Carolina Pontones-Rosa

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha
    University of Castilla-La Mancha)

  • Rosario Perez-Morote

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha
    University of Castilla-La Mancha)

  • Montserrat Nunez-Chicharro

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha
    University of Castilla-La Mancha)

  • Inmaculada Alonso-Carrillo

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha
    University of Castilla-La Mancha)

Abstract

E-government is a tool at the service of the public administration and should be used to progress towards goals of governance and sustainability, showing great potential for rural communities at risk of depopulation. The aim of the study is to ascertain the level of e-government implementation in rural municipalities of depopulated Spain and to reflect on its possible influence on citizens’ intention to emigrate. For this purpose, the Province of Albacete will be taken as the object of study, this province being a paradigmatic example of the deployment of digital services. The paper measures the development of e-government supply by constructing municipal indexes through the content analysis of websites. In parallel, applying regression analysis, the work provides an assessment of the demand and actual use of e-government by rural inhabitants, using the data obtained from a survey conducted by the authors in that province. The results reveal, on the one hand, that the situation of small municipalities is deficient in relative terms in the areas of e-information and e-participation, confirming a digital divide by municipal size. In the demand side, the findings alert on the need to promote greater use of e-government and to improve the digital inclusion of all segments of the population.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolina Pontones-Rosa & Rosario Perez-Morote & Montserrat Nunez-Chicharro & Inmaculada Alonso-Carrillo, 2023. "E-government in Depopulated Rural Areas. An Approach to the Reality of Spanish Municipalities," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-34, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:42:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11113-023-09808-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-023-09808-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11113-023-09808-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11113-023-09808-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jose Manuel Ruano de la Fuente, 2014. "E-Government Strategies in Spanish Local Governments," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 600-620, July.
    2. Leonel Cerno & César Pérez López & Eduardo Sanz Arcega, 2017. "Determinantes de la satisfacción de los españoles con las prestaciones y servicios públicos: un enfoque de sociología tributaria con microdatos," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 220(1), pages 57-87, March.
    3. Martínez-Domínguez, Marlen & Mora-Rivera, Jorge, 2020. "Internet adoption and usage patterns in rural Mexico," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    4. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Dürr, Niklas S. & Falck, Oliver & Hüschelrath, Kai, 2019. "Does state aid for broadband deployment in rural areas close the digital and economic divide?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 68-85.
    5. Cegarra-Navarro, Juan-Gabriel & Pachón, José Rodrigo Córdoba & Cegarra, José Luis Moreno, 2012. "E-government and citizen's engagement with local affairs through e-websites: The case of Spanish municipalities," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 469-478.
    6. Luis Camarero & Jesús Oliva, 2019. "Thinking in rural gap: mobility and social inequalities," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    7. Nixon Muganda Ochara & Tendani Mawela, 2015. "Enabling Social Sustainability of E-Participation through Mobile Technology," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 205-228, April.
    8. Jean N. Lee & Jonathan Morduch & Saravana Ravindran & Abu Shonchoy & Hassan Zaman, 2021. "Poverty and Migration in the Digital Age: Experimental Evidence on Mobile Banking in Bangladesh," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(1), pages 38-71, January.
    9. Rowley, Jennifer, 2011. "e-Government stakeholders—Who are they and what do they want?," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 53-62.
    10. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Dürr, Niklas S. & Falck, Oliver & Hüschelrath, Kai, 2019. "Does state aid for broadband deployment in rural areas close the digital and economic divide?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 68-85.
    11. Isaac Kofi Mensah, 2020. "Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of Mobile Government Services: The Moderating Impact of Electronic Word of Month (eWOM)," International Journal of Technology Diffusion (IJTD), IGI Global, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, January.
    12. Peronard, Jean-Paul & Just, Flemming, 2011. "User motivation for broadband: A rural Danish study," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 691-701, September.
    13. Kapil Kaushik & Rajhans Mishra, 2019. "Predictors of E-government adoption in India: direct and indirect effects of technology anxiety and information quality," International Journal of Business Information Systems, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 31(3), pages 305-321.
    14. Andrey Nechaev & Oksana Antipina, 2016. "Analysis of the Impact of Taxation of Business Entities on the Innovative Development of the Country," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 71-83.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosario, Pérez-Morote & Carolina, Pontones-Rosa & Montserrat, Núñez-Chicharro & Elena, Merino-Madrid, 2021. "Determinant factors of individuals’ decision to emigrate in rural Spain: The role of ICT-based public policies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Pontones-Rosa, Carolina & Pérez-Morote, Rosario & Santos-Peñalver, Jesús F., 2021. "ICT-based public policies and depopulation in hollowed-out Spain: A survey analysis on the digital divide and citizen satisfaction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Dürr, Niklas S. & Gugler, Klaus, 2019. "A retrospective study on the regional benefits and spillover effects of high-speed broadband networks: Evidence from German counties," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-026, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Marc Bourreau & Lukasz Grzybowski & Ángela Muñoz-Acevedo, 2023. "The Efficiency of State Aid for the Deployment of High-Speed Broadband: Evidence from the French Markets," CESifo Working Paper Series 10440, CESifo.
    5. Wolfgang Briglauer & Michał Grajek, 2024. "Effectiveness and efficiency of state aid for new broadband networks: evidence from OECD member states," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 672-700, July.
    6. Lee, Hyeongjik & Jeong, Seonkoo & Lee, Kwanghee, 2023. "The South Korean case of deploying rural broadband via fiber networks by implementing universal service obligation and public-private partnership based project," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).
    7. Stockinger, Bastian, 2017. "The effect of broadband internet on establishments' employment growth: evidence from Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 201719, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    8. Hasbi, Maude & Bohlin, Erik, 2021. "Impact of Broadband Quality on Median Income and Unemployment: Evidence from Sweden," 23rd ITS Biennial Conference, Online Conference / Gothenburg 2021. Digital societies and industrial transformations: Policies, markets, and technologies in a post-Covid world 238026, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    9. Lei-Ju Qiu & Shun-Bin Zhong & Bao-Wen Sun & Yu Song & Xiao-Hua Chen, 2021. "Is internet penetration narrowing the rural–urban income inequality? A cross-regional study of China," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 55(5), pages 1795-1814, October.
    10. Lindlacher, Valentin, 2021. "Low demand despite broad supply: Is high-speed Internet an infrastructure of general interest?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    11. Bourreau, Marc & Feasey, Richard & Nicolle, Ambre, 2020. "Assessing fifteen years of State Aid for broadband in the European Union: A quantitative analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(7).
    12. Ioannou, Nikos & Logothetis, Vangelis & Petre, Konstantin & Tselekounis, Markos & Chipouras, Aris & Katsianis, Dimitris & Varoutas, Dimitris, 2021. "Network modeling approaches for calculating wholesale NGA prices: A full comparison based on the Greek fixed broadband market," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9).
    13. Martin Quinn & Miguel Godinho de Matos & Christian Peukert, 2022. "The Welfare Effects of Mobile Internet Access - Evidence from Roam-Like-at-Home," CESifo Working Paper Series 9612, CESifo.
    14. Mohammadi, Mohammad Ali, 2021. "Estimating Possible Subsidy Effects in Broadband Services and Deployment," MPRA Paper 111962, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Falk, Martin & Hagsten, Eva, 2021. "Impact of high-speed broadband access on local establishment dynamics," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4).
    16. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Dürr, Niklas & Gugler, Klaus, 2021. "A retrospective study on the regional benefits and spillover effects of high-speed broadband networks: Evidence from German counties," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    17. Dodik Ariyanto & Ayu Aryista Dewi & Henny Triyana Hasibuan & Rizky Bagus Paramadani, 2022. "The Success of Information Systems and Sustainable Information Society: Measuring the Implementation of a Village Financial System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Thonipara, Anita & Sternberg, Rolf G. & Proeger, Till & Haefner, Lukas, 2020. "Assessing the Digital Divide and its Regional Determinants: Evidence from a Web-Scraping Analysis," ifh Working Papers 25/2020, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh), revised 2020.
    19. Kulenkampff, Gabriele & Ockenfels, Martin & Plückebaum, Thomas & Zoz, Konrad & Zuloaga, Gonzalo, 2021. "Costs of Very High Capacity Networks and Geographic Heterogeneity – a statistical assessment for Germany," 23rd ITS Biennial Conference, Online Conference / Gothenburg 2021. Digital societies and industrial transformations: Policies, markets, and technologies in a post-Covid world 238033, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    20. Oliver Budzinski & Sophia Gaenssle & Nadine Lindstädt-Dreusicke, 2021. "The battle of YouTube, TV and Netflix: an empirical analysis of competition in audiovisual media markets," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(9), pages 1-26, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:42:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11113-023-09808-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.