An Integrated TOE–TAM Framework for the Adoption of Decentralized E-Government in Iraqi Higher Education: A Conceptual Model
Keywords:
e-government; decentralization; higher education; Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE); Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); IraqAbstract
Electronic government (e-government) has become a central instrument through which public institutions seek to deliver services with greater efficiency, transparency, and accessibility. In Iraq's higher education sector, however, adoption remains constrained by centralized decision-making, underdeveloped information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, unclear regulatory frameworks, and limited institutional autonomy. While the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) have each been used extensively to explain technology adoption, they are rarely combined, and no validated model yet captures how institutional readiness and individual user perceptions jointly shape e-government use in a fragile, post-conflict governance setting such as Iraq. This paper develops and theoretically justifies an integrated TOE–TAM conceptual framework for the adoption of decentralized e-government systems in Iraqi public universities. Eight constructs are proposed across three dimensions: technological (IT skills, technical support, technological infrastructure), environmental (rules and regulations, awareness, culture), and governmental (trust in government, quality of information). For each construct, the paper reviews the supporting literature and formulates a corresponding hypothesis linking it to the use of e-government in higher education. The resulting eight-hypothesis model offers a theoretically grounded, context-sensitive lens for studying digital governance reform in Iraq and comparable post-conflict, decentralizing states, and provides the conceptual foundation for the empirical validation reported in a companion study. The paper concludes by discussing the framework's theoretical contribution and its implications for policymakers seeking to design more effective ICT governance and decentralization strategies in higher education.
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