ABSTRACT
The application of information and communication technologies holds enormous potential for the more cost-effective delivery of services to sparsely populated areas. One would expect that the development of e-government would occur more quickly in areas with a large rural population. Nevertheless, these areas face some challenges. Although there is a great amount of empirical literature on e-government based on surveys of state governments, large municipalities, and countries, there is a relative dearth of research focusing on small local governments in more rural areas. This chapter focuses on the development of e-government among small and medium-size local governments. A case study of Alabama county governments is conducted employing the assessment tool developed by the Rutgers University E-Governance Institute to evaluate the websites of Alabama county governments and identify the best e-government practices of local governments. The case study also applies multivariate analysis to identify the environmental (i.e., socioeconomic) and institutional factors that affect the progress of e-government of local governments. In addition, it provides an overview of the political system of Alabama as well as the existing state and federal policies and programs aimed at assisting in the application of information technology at the local government level. Last, it recommends policy and program strategies to facilitate the development of e-government at the local level. This work contributes to the knowledge of e-government development in local governments of the U.S. southern states and the empirical literature of e-government research in general.
