Assessing the impact of e-government: a study of e-government projects in India, information technologies, and international development
Abstract
In recent years, there has been extensive investment in e-government throughout
the developing world. Still, little is known about the impact of those investments,
partly due to a lack of assessment guidance. This paper reports development
of an assessment methodology that could be used in developing
countries to justify investments in e-government, as well as to establish a
performance benchmark for future projects. This framework identiªes key
stakeholders, dimensions on which the impact needs to be measured, and a
methodology of measurement. Client value is measured primarily in two dimensions:
1) cost to the client of accessing services, and 2) perception by the
client of quality of service and governance. In a limited way, the ªnancial costbeneªt
impact to the agency implementing the project is also studied.
The paper takes India as its example location for application of the framework,
presenting assessment results from eight e-government projects which
estimate the difference between client ratings of computerized and (earlier)
manual systems. Clients indicated an overwhelming preference for computerized
service delivery, with reports of fewer journeys, less waiting time, and
some reduction in corruption (marginal in places).
The results provided a tentative afªrmation of the improvements that may
be possible through the use of ICTs in delivering government services in developing
countries. Overall impact showed wide variation across projects, highlighting
the need to pay greater attention to process reform in the design of
e-government projects. Measurement of direct monetary beneªts to the clients
provides a basis for determining the service fees that could be charged.
An assessment of incremental costs of processing a transaction can help evaluate
the feasibility of a public-private partnership model.
The Government of India has adopted the framework used in this study to
assess the impact of all mature projects implemented at the national, state,
and local levels.
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