Abstract
This development paper explores the quality of e-government (eGov) service delivery, measured using the European Commission’s user-centricity indicators and key enabling factors benchmark, and their effect on “digital inclusion” in interactions with public administration, in terms of perceived barriers and the educational gap in the use of digital services. Using a panel of 36 European countries (2012–2022, N=377) and a Two-Way Fixed Effects (TWFE) model, it emerges that the quality of lagged eGov service delivery (t-1) is associated with a reduction in the educational gap in the use of digital services and that the effect is stronger in contexts with greater digital skills fragility. The paper contributes to the literature on public value, the digital divide, and inclusive innovation and discusses implications by proposing a development plan to extend the analysis and contribution.