E-government and corruption control: the mediating effect of law enforcement

While the role of e-government in reducing corruption level is well discussed in the literature, less attention has been given to how e-government combats corruption. This study revisits the association between e-government and corruption and contributes to the existing literature by elucidating how law enforcement mediates this association. The author conducts a cross-nation analysis of 120 countries over four years. The result of panel analysis with random effect models indicates that law enforcement does mediate the association between e-government and corruption. The result shows that e-government will have no strong effect on corruption without first affecting the enforcement of the law. E-government by automating the laws and regulations helps to achieve higher possible levels of compliance to laws and regulations, and that controls improper influence by public officials. Policymakers should consider law and regulations enforcement when design e-government systems in order to control the improper influence by public officials.