Examining Platform Governance and User Behavior in the Adoption of E‐Government Services in a Developing Country

ABSTRACT Despite the transformative potential of e‐government services, sustained citizen adoption often remains minimal, a situation termed the e‐government paradox. Existing Information Systems (IS) literature largely treats user acceptance factors (UTAUT) and institutional governance dynamics (Institutional Theory) in isolation. This study addresses the critical gap of how platform governance mechanisms, driven by institutional pressures, dynamically reshape the technological characteristics and trust perceptions that govern e‐government adoption in developing countries. An interpretive case study methodology was employed at Electro‐G, a public utility in Ghana, integrating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with Institutional Theory. Data were collected through 72 semi‐structured interviews (52 customers, 20 staff) and analyzed using thematic synthesis guided by a combined theoretical coding scheme. The analysis reveals three critical dynamics: (1) Governance‐Mediated Technology Acceptance, demonstrating how institutional pressures (e.g., coercive outsourcing) erode user‐level constructs like Facilitating Conditions and Performance Expectancy; (2) An Institutional Trust‐Technological Reliability Paradox, where institutional trust coexists and is undermined by infrastructure distrust; (3) Governance Gaps, created by mimetic and normative pressures, lead to organizational agility trade‐offs, hindering rapid problem resolution despite regulatory compliance. This study makes a novel theoretical contribution by establishing a model of technology acceptance explicitly mediated by institutional context. For developing countries, the findings mandate a shift in policy focus from compliance‐oriented regulation to managing distributed accountability across organizational boundaries (MNOs/vendors) through enforceable service performance mechanisms, sustainable service delivery, and enhanced citizen engagement.