This research paper investigates the role of electronic government on various aspects of economic and social development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The paper uses a panel data of 15 MENA countries between 2003 and 2018. The paper examines, first, the effect of e-government on good governance. Second, it highlights the effect of good governance on sustainable development, and third, it assesses the effect of e-government development on sustainable development, i.e., the digital dividends. The race is between skills and technology, while the outcome will settle on whether the dividends from digital technologies are realized and the benefits widely shared.

The results reveal that most indicators of good governance have a positive contribution to sustainable development. As for the impact of e-government development on governance indicators, findings show that digitalization improves control of corruption and government effectiveness, and to a lesser extent, regulatory quality. Contrary to what was expected, e-government-related variables exert an adverse effect on various aspects of sustainable development instead of being a catalyst for progress. Based on these findings, the paper provides some recommendations. Essentially, policies on the use of digital technologies need to be adequately embedded in public sector reform. MENA countries should promote competitive business environments, enhance accountability, and upgrade education and skills development systems. Our findings are then of great interest to policymakers to make the necessary reforms that reap digital dividends in the form of faster growth, better public services, and adequate environmental management.

本文研究了电子政府在中东和北非（MENA）地区经济和社会发展各个方面的作用。本文使用了2003年至2018年间15个中东和北非国家的面板数据。本文首先考察了电子政务对善政的影响。其次，它强调了善政对可持续发展的影响，其次，它评估了电子政务发展对可持续发展的影响，即数字红利。竞赛是在技能和技术之间进行的，而结果将取决于是否实现了数字技术带来的红利以及广泛分享的利益。

结果表明，善政的大多数指标对可持续发展具有积极的贡献。关于电子政务发展对治理指标的影响，研究结果表明，数字化可以改善对腐败和政府效力的控制，并在较小程度上改善监管质量。与预期相反，与电子政务相关的变量对可持续发展的各个方面产生不利影响，而不是促进进步。基于这些发现，本文提供了一些建议。从本质上讲，有关数字技术使用的政策必须充分纳入公共部门的改革中。中东和北非国家应促进竞争性的商业环境，加强问责制，并升级教育和技能开发系统。