A Legal Framework for Digital Transformation: A Proposal Based on a Comparative Case Study.

Digital transformation is crucial for governments to provide better and more efficient services to the citizens. A legal framework is a necessary component of each e-government ecosystem to ensure proper delivery of e-services. This research proposes a legal framework for e-government in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The research started with the KRI's e-Court system project as the first pilot project towards the systematic introduction of e-government in general. The research is based on a qualitative comparative case study of the KRI and Estonia, which is known to have a particularly mature set of e-government regulations. Data have been collected from legal databases, existing literature, and other available legal documentations from both countries. This study aims to provide a foundation for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to conclude plans for digital expansion and implementation of e-government in the KRI. Beyond that, the authors hope that this study extends the existing body of knowledge and literature in a way that is useful for e-government practitioners in other projects and researchers alike.