Longitudinal Analysis of the Effects of IT Characteristics on Web Site Ratings Across State Governments in the US (2001-2006)

Given the increasing investment on information technology (IT) and Web site features, it becomes crucial to measure reliably the impact of these characteristics on the overall quality or functionality of government portals and Web sites. Scholars are evaluating government Websites using very different instruments and techniques. However, given the dynamic nature of IT, it is not clear what the impact of certain features and characteristics is on the ratings obtained by government Web sites over time. Based on a well-known content-based analysis of state government Websites and using a multilevel analysis, this paper examines the effects of fourteen different IT characteristics on the Web site ratings across state governments in the U.S. during the period of 2001-2006. By using hierarchical model estimates and a trajectory analysis to help the visualization of the reduced-form equation over the period of time, the results show evidence that the effects of these IT characteristics on Web site ratings are non-linear and vary over time, being accelerators in some points and dilators in others.