An Exploratory Study of Electronic Government and State Portals in Mexico

Abstract

Many governments have embraced the information revolution by developing information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve services to citizens. In Mexico, the number of government Web sites has increased from none in 1994 to about 2,800 in 2005. However, there is relatively little research about Mexican government portals. This chapter preliminarily evaluates the quality and functionality of four state government portals in Mexico. It also analyzes their evolution from 2002 to 2005 and uncovers some general trends. In general, Mexican state government portals seem to be mainly information catalogs with some transactional capabilities. However, the observed portals show a pattern of transitioning to a more user-centered design and integrating more electronic services. In addition, Mexican state portals show an increasing concern for transparency and citizen participation.