Book Review: e-Government - From vision to implementation

Introducing e-government in theory and practice Bhatnagar; Subhas. e-Government: From vision to implementation: A practical guide with case studies. New Delhi: Sage Publications,2004. 202p. Price: INR 280.00 One of the early texts on e-governance in this part of the world, Bhatnagar’s work attempts at providing an indepth understanding of e-government and its implementation in real-life situations. Being associated with early experimentations with e-governance in India, the author illustrates impact of the e-governance initiatives on poverty reduction. The concept of e-governance is introduced and defined in the first of the book’s seven chapters. In Chapter 2, the concept is further elucidated to contextualise in the developing country situations; recognising the structural differences within developed and developing nations, e-governance delivery methods and systems are required to be customised. For developing countries, the problems of putting e-governance mechanisms in place is far more complex and difficult than elsewhere – for numerous social, economic and cultural problems warrant diverse and hybrid technological and delivery solutions. In Chapter 3, the interconnectedness between e-governance and development is explored. It highlights how e-governance has contributed to improved development. In particular it has been effective in increasing transparency, accountability and efficiency, thereby reducing corruption. Concepts of project design and change management are introduced in Chapter 4 – “Guidelines for Implementing Projects Successful”. For implementing an effective e-governance solution, business processes should be re-engineered to reduce red-tapism and bureaucratic power. Critical to this process is to examine the level of citizen’s involvement and empowerment in the process right from the beginning. Bhatnagar also points out, “Significant effort and resources need to be spent to make citizens aware of the added advantages that Internet channels can offer as opposed to traditional one...The design of the website is critical. It should be simple to search for information and the information should be complete.” However, building stakeholders capacities in adapting the change process is precondition for success of the projects. A guideline for designing national e-government strategy is laid down in Chapter 5 which succinctly delineates the steps for formulating such a national strategy in the developing country context. The strategy is based on an e-readiness assessment and contains elements of both project and policy directives. The assessment also helps in identifying and initiating ‘quick-start’ projects in select government departments. Evaluative exercises form an integral part to these projects and several methodologies are prescribed for conducting evaluations for e-government initiatives. It is pertinent to note few observations made by Bhatnagar, generally overlooked in the process, that the projects may take four to five years for rolling out; while the ‘quick-start’ projects can be implemented within relatively brief time-period of nine to ten months. The note of optimism on the positive impact of e-governance in meeting the pious goals of good governance, citizen empowerment, transparency, anti-corruption and poverty reduction, as resonates in Chapter 6 ‘Future of e-government’, is not without cautions: as e-government processes potentially can lead to waste of financial, human and technological resources, as it carries both financial and political costs and risks. Altogether 12 e-governance initiatives are analysed in the case studies section (Chapter 7), which presents the application context (rationale and objectives of the project), uses of technology, implementation challenges and key lessons in each case. Initiatives that are studies include Bhoomi (Karnataka), Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh), Computer-Aided Registration of Deeds (CARD, FRIENDS (Kerala), Computerised Service Centres for Municipal Services (VOICE), Online Income Tax Administration, e-procurement, Indian Customs online, Computerised Interstate Checkposts in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh Sachivalaya e-applications, OPEN – Seoul’s Anti-Corruption Project, Central Vigilance Commission’s website. The author is successful in knitting well the relevant aspects of e-government in a very elaborate, yet succinct manner. Thus far, it serves as a well-received introduction for the readers in e-governance – university students, project managers, and practitioners alike. However, there is a scope for introducing further emerging concepts of public participation in governance through the e-governance mechanisms. For developing countries like India, creation of appropriate regulatory and technological environment upon which e-governance application rides on is a primary issue. On regulatory front, access to information rights directly attacks the bureaucratic systems of secrecy; on the applications side, there is tendency to adapt common standardised solutions for all e-governance initiatives. While government departments can perform in standardised settings, citizens face difficulties in their interaction with the government. Of particular interest is the book’s quite exhaustive bibliography and the annotated list of web resources. Reviewed by Atanu Garai, Knowledge Coordinator (ICT), OneWorld South Asia.