A systematic review of e-government intermediaries: current insights and future directions

E-government intermediaries facilitate individuals’ access to and utilization of e-government services by bridging the gap between disadvantaged populations and e-government platforms. While these intermediaries help reduce bureaucratic barriers and the digital divide, their types, functions, and ecosystem dynamics remain underexplored. This study systematically reviews e-government intermediaries to enhance conceptual and practical understanding by identifying their types and functions. Despite technological advancements that may eliminate some traditional intermediaries, digital inequalities persist, and intermediaries remain essential. They are unlikely to disappear, but rather to evolve through reintermediation. Using PRISMA as a methodological framework, this study systematically analyzes literature from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases to identify research gaps. The findings explore the functions and types of e-government intermediaries, concluding with future trends and new research directions. This study contributes to the e-government literature by providing a structured review and offering insights for both scholars examining e-government intermediaries and practitioners who interact with them or use them to bridge the digital divide.