Harnessing the power of mobile technology to bridge the digital divide: a look at U.S. cities' mobile government capability

摘要

As more U.S. citizens utilize mobile capabilities, mobile government is increasingly seen as a way for cities to provide government services and opportunities for citizen participation. M-government is also more accessible to citizens than are typical e-government platforms, which require Internet connectivity or a wireless network. Utilizing public value theory as a framework, this paper discusses mobile capacity as it relates to the digital divide. This study examines the mobile readiness of the 200 most populous U.S. cities, and particularly the extent to which these cities have adopted mobile technologies that uphold the tenets of e-democracy and public value theory.