USE OF THEORY IN E-GOV RESEARCH: PRELIMINARY REFLECTIONS ON RESEARCH IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This article discusses the use of theory in Brazilian research on electronic government (eGov). International academic literature has promoted reflections and criticisms about the degree of theorization in the eGov research field and its implications to research. This article aims to understand the use of theories in the Brazilian context. Through a systematic literature review, 96 articles published between 2003 and 2014 were selected. The five types of theory typology proposed by Gregor (2006) in her article ‘The Nature of Theory in Information System’ was used as the framework to analyze the papers. A detailed paper analysis shows that most of them (62%) fit to the ‘Theory to Analysis’, the most basic type. The main interest of Brazilian researches is the description of the phenomenon ("what"), rather than to understand "why", "what will be" or "how to do something," representing necessary stages for the growth and qualification of a research field. The study indicates the need to use other stages of theories in Brazilian studies on eGov.