On this article we discuss the effectiveness of the design of public policies on the development of e-government systems. Three analytic keys will be used to approach this question. Initially, we will define the concept of electronic governance and its relation with the provision and the costs of information for civil society and the concept of governance. After that, under the framework of the Brazilian context, we will discuss the expansion of the Internet in opposition to the issue of digital divide, focusing on the costs of obtaining information by asymmetrically empowered groups. Finally, in a case study, we will provide a critical analysis of a regional agency, responsible for the implementation of the experience of e-government on the Rio de Janeiro State, considered here as a proxy of the Brazilian case. We expect, as a result of this approach, both a "map" of the state of the affairs of this question and its related issues, as well as, the establishment of analytic parameters on what would be a good electronic government. We conclude this article with some recommendations.