E-government as a catalyst for efficient governance and public service delivery: evidence from the Baltic states

Domazet, Ivana and Marjanović, Darko and Subić, Jonel (2026) E-government as a catalyst for efficient governance and public service delivery: evidence from the Baltic states. International review (1/2). pp. 48-63. ISSN 2217-9739

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Abstract

This paper investigates the trajectory of e-government development in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) over the period 2010–2024, addressing two research questions: (RQ1) How have the three Baltic states differed in their e-government development trajectories, as measured by the EGDI and its sub-indices? (RQ2) What factors explain the observed divergences between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania? The study relies on secondary data from the UN E-Government Knowledgebase and applies a longitudinal comparative analysis of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) and its three components—the Online Service Index (OSI), the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), and the Human Capital Index (HCI). The findings reveal that all three countries have progressed to the "very high" EGDI tier by 2024, yet their trajectories differ markedly: Estonia advanced from rank 20 in 2010 to rank 2 in 2024 (EGDI: 0.6965–0.9727), driven by its early institutional investment in digital identity and data exchange infrastructure; Lithuania rose from rank 28 to rank 21 (EGDI: 0.6295–0.9110) through sustained online service expansion and broadband penetration; and Latvia, after stagnating in the "high" tier until 2018, accelerated to rank 29 in 2024 (EGDI: 0.5826–0.8852) following significant infrastructure investment. The results suggest that institutional commitment and policy continuity, rather than initial resource endowments, are the primary drivers of e-government advancement in this region.

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