The Missing Link: Identifying Digital Intermediaries in E-Government

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Toro-Maureira, Sergio; Olivares, Alejandro; Saez-Vergara, Rocio; Valenzuela, Sebastian; Valenzuela, Macarena; Correa, Teresa
• 署名单位: Universidad Mayor; Universidad de Chile; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Universidad Catolica de Temuco; University Diego Portales
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3352
• DOI: 10.1111/puar.70033
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: street-level bureaucracy; electronic government; Divide; implementation; inclusion; literacy; systems; people; access; STATES

摘要

Digital platforms are transforming how governments deliver public services; however, many citizens still depend on third parties to access them. This article identifies and classifies these digital intermediaries drawing from a national survey in Chile-a country with high digitalization but deep digital inequality. We find two major types of intermediaries: close actors (family and peers) and hierarchical actors (politicians, bureaucrats, and community leaders). These intermediaries support citizens who lack digital skills or access, playing an essential role in facilitating e-government. The findings challenge the notion that digitalization guarantees direct, unmediated access to public services and underscore the importance of considering human support systems in digital governance.