Debunking the optimists: An evaluation of conventional wisdom about the digital divide and e‐government in the British Isles

Abstract

Purpose

Conventional wisdom about the digital divide maintains that per capita income, education, age and access to technology are its main causes and also the main barriers to internet access. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity of that claim in the case of the Isle of Man (IOM).

Design/methodology/approach

A nominalist ontology and positivist epistemology characterizes the underpinning research philosophy for this case study. Research data consisted of secondary census instruments and primary data derived from interviews with a sample of IOM civil servants.

Findings

The findings were that despite having better results in terms of the causes of digital divide, the IOM trailed the UK level of internet access to a significant degree. This result raises questions about the wisdom of basing digital divide and e‐government strategies on technology proliferation and economic indicators.

Research limitations/implications

The IOM is a comparatively small entity compared to the UK. In addition, basing the primary data collected on IOM civil servants only may result in an element of bias.

Practical implications

Many governments invest considerable sums of money on their digital divide and e‐government programmes which may be misdirected if they are addressing the wrong causes of it.

Originality/value

This paper evaluates an issue which normally requires the resources of government or institutions in order to research it.

Citation

Ryder, G. (2007), "Debunking the optimists: An evaluation of conventional wisdom about the digital divide and e‐government in the British Isles", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 112-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506160710751959