E-governance for improved public sector service delivery in India, Ethiopia and Fiji

Purpose - Thepurpose of this paper is to explore the extent of corruption in India, Fiji and Ethiopia and survey citizen perception of how e-governance could fight corruption. The main objective is to investigate and explore the potential of e-governance applications in three countries representing three different regions of Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted over 918 citizens in India, Ethiopia and Fiji using convenience random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used. The main emphasis of the survey was on citizen perception about corruption and poor service. It further asked respondents on how e-governance can cut corruption. Findings - Benefits of e-governance in developing countries are the same as those in developed countries but there are many potential benefits that remain unreaped by developing countries as a consequence of their unlimited use of e-governance. Based on these assertions, the researchers tried to evaluate and assess the potential of e-governance initiatives in India, Ethiopia and Fiji. By exploring the role of e-governance for reducing corruption that has afflicted the entire public sector in these countries, the main finding is that e-governance is positively related to government, "citizen relationship and corruption reduction". Research limitations/implications - This study is highly empirical and does not provide case studies to further extend on the findings. Practical implications - The implications of the research are that information communication technology (ICT) needs to be effectively integrated in the development agenda of government plans in Ethiopia and Fiji. Government agencies in Ethiopia and Fiji do not seem to be much motivated to build sound government-citizen partnerships. Citizens can see little of the internal workings of government. However, for India, where there are many e-governance projects underway, and which is normally considered to be awakening to the challenges of e-governance and which has to date many success stories relating to e-governance, it is surprising to see that citizens find various existent formats of corruption and non-transparent service delivery activities. It is quite evident that bureaucracy is more or less opaque and very little attention has been paid to improving transparency, including through the use of e-governance processes. Time, cost and red-tape procedures are major constraints in public service delivery. Originality/value - The paper explores a problem that is of practical importance using principal-agent theory, which is very applicable to the public sector context.