171 research outputs found
E-government iImplementation and adoption: the case study of Botswana Government
ABSTRACT The advancements in the ICT and internet technologies challenge governments to engage in the electronic transformation of public services and information provision to citizens. The capability to reach citizens in the physical world via e-government platform and render a citizen-centric public sector has increasingly become vital. Thus, spending more resources to promote and ensure that all members of society are included in the entire spectrum of information society and more actively access government online is a critical aspect in establishing a successful e-government project. Every e-government programme requires a clear idea of the proposed benefits to citizens, the challenges to overcome and the level of institutional reform that has to take place for e- government to be a success in a given context. E-government strategy is fundamental to transforming and modernising the public sector through identification of key influential elements or strategy factors and ways of interacting with citizens. It is therefore apparent that governments must first understand variables that influence citizensâ adoption of e-government in order to take them into account when developing and delivering services online. Botswana has recently embarked on e-government implementation initiatives that started with the e-readiness assessment conducted in 2004, followed by enactment of the National ICT policy of 2007 and the approval of the e-government strategy approved in 2012 for dedicated implementation in the 2014 financial year. Significant developments have taken place around national and international connectivity including initiatives that offer connectivity to citizens such as the I- partnership, community run Nteletsa projects, post office run tele-centres and Sesigo projects that have been deployed on a wider Botswana. In spite of these remarkable initiatives there is no change management strategy in place and evidence to suggest that citizens cluster groups, government employees, key influential citizensâ stakeholders and other local government administrative governing structures at district levels have been appropriately informed, consulted, engaged and participated in the design, development and implementation initiatives. This position has contributed largely to low e-readiness indices for Botswana, low PC, Internet and broadband penetration levels, which do not commensurate with levels of connectivity initiatives already in place and operational. The strategy development, which is the viability business plan for the entire project has been initiated and concluded without the appropriate input of citizens, employees and local government structures at the districts. Considering that that e-government is new and narrowly researched in Botswana. There is non existing research on both the impact of strategy factors to e-government implementation success and citizensâ involvement and participation in the e-government design and implementation through to adoption and continual use. This study therefore explores and investigates empirically the key e-government strategy influential success elements and the how citizensâ involvement and participation in e-government development can be secured, supported and facilitated towards adoption and continual future use. This culminates in the proposal of both theoretically supported and empirically validated e-government strategy framework and citizen centric conceptual model. The study is crucial as it aims understand how can influences upon success in e-government project be better understood and citizensâ stakeholder adoption of e-government enhanced to facilitate successful development of e-government in Botswana and is also timely as it comes at the time when Botswana has not yet implemented her e-government strategy, hence factors identified are critical to both strategy re-alignment and design of the citizensâ involvement and participation change management strategy to support both implementation and citizensâ adoption of e-government in Botswana. The study utilises the mixed methods research, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to address the research question and triangulated data collection approaches used to select survey sample for two questionnaire sets carried on opinion holders within government and non government structures and ordinary citizens, use of observations on operating tele-centres, interviews with key e-government strategic stakeholders and document analysis which included e-government policies and related documentations as well as extensive review of e-government published literature including applied implementation and citizens adoption experiences of developing and developed countries. In the analysis of data the multiple regression analysis has been utilised and multivariate analysis performed to ensure linearity, normality and collinearity. The linear regression has been used to test the hypothesis through the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Keywords E-government, strategy critical success factors, key influential elements, citizen centric conceptual model, strategy framework, Botswana.Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)Botswana Embass
Getting On: From Migration to Integration - Chinese, Indian, Lithuanian and Nigerian Migrants' Experiences in Ireland
Until very recently, debate about immigration policies in Ireland has focussed on
questions of who, how many and what kinds of migrants can come. In Ireland,
we are now seeing a shift in the discussion to concerns about how people can
âintegrateâ into an increasingly diverse Irish society. We are beginning to consider
what our integration policies and framework should focus on. We are starting to
realise that, when immigrants settle in a country, they have to find opportunities
to âbelongâ and participate in that country. We realise that this is as true in the
practical sense (for example, in relation to employment) as in the social, political,
and cultural sense.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) has been working directly with migrants in
accessing their social and legal rights since our inception. Through our work, we
see the barriers that migrants face in relation to economic, social, political and
cultural integration in Ireland. We see on a daily basis how our immigration
system can assist or prevent a migrantâs capacity to integrate or participate in
Irish society at varying levels. Last year, 10,000 migrants sought information and
support from the ICI. They shared experiences of problems and challenges,
arising through navigating Irelandâs immigration system. Their experiences show
how access to secure residency, access to family life, adequate healthcare,
housing, education and employment are so often linked to oneâs immigration
status. Their stories demonstrate how all of these factors can act as barriers or
facilitators of integration.
The Irish Government is presently developing an âintegration strategyâ for
immigrants. It is in this context that the ICI wanted to further explore issues that
arise through our services and work in supporting migrant communities. The ICI
commissioned this study to further document the immigration and integration
experiences of four nationalities, working with members of the Chinese, Indian,
Lithuanian and Nigerian communities. We wanted to explore how the immigration
experience of the research participants influenced their integration experience.
We wanted to look at key indicators for measuring integration internationally and
how these could be adapted to the Irish context. We wanted to investigate how
these proposed indicators could be measured against the experiences of these
key migrant communities living and contributing to Irish society.
In this report, Chinese, Indian, Lithuanian and Nigerian nationals tell their
migration stories. We see clearly how their migration experiences and outcomes
influence their integration experiences in Irish society. Whilst the stories are
different, there are common threads throughout, highlighting key considerations
for us in this work in the future. For all of us, the test of the success of Irelandâs
developing migration system and integration framework will be our cohesiveness
as a society, with opportunity for full participation and equal outcomes for all its
members. This is the right moment for Ireland to develop comprehensive
integration policies and procedures to ensure that the positive migration
experience is sustained. Although as a society we are new to the migration experience, we can benefit from promising practices in countries with a history
of migration. To be successful in our integration policies, we must ensure that we
take a holistic approach and consider the impact of related immigration and
social policies.
The ICI would like to thank the Migration and Citizenship Research Initiativeâs
researchers, the postgraduate researchers, and the community researchers for
their work, and the participants who shared their experiences. In conclusion, we
invite the Minister for Integration and the Office of the Minister for Integration to
consider the findings and recommendations as they develop an integration
framework for Ireland
Potential and challenges of e-voting in the European Union
European Union Democracy Observatory (EUDO)This study was commissioned and supervised by the European Parliamentâs Department for Citizensâ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the AFCO Committee. It addresses the potentials and challenges of the implementation of Internet voting in European Parliament elections. It considers the social, political, legal, and technological implications of its introduction as an alternative to on-paper ballot and builds on the recent experience of previous trials and successful e-enabled elections to issue technical recommendations regarding Internet voting in the European Union
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E-government systems success and user acceptance in developing countries: The role of perceived support quality
This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Electronic government (e-Government) projects create numerous benefits and opportunities for both governments and citizens worldwide. Accordingly, the increasing interest in e-Government raises the issue of how governments can increase citizen adoption and usage of their on-line services. The successful adoption of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), the explosive increase in Internet usage and the rapid development of e-commerce in private sectors have placed pressure on public organisations to interact electronically with citizens. Conversely, the success of e-Government does not depend only on the supplier side, but also on the demand side and the willingness to adopt the on-line service. The concept of e-Government was developed and implemented initially in industrialised countries. Consequently, it should not be assumed that this concept is automatically appropriate for developing countries. Thus far, e-Government still faces major challenges as it continues to expand in developing countries. Moreover, when introducing e-Government to developing nations, it is anticipated that more effort will be necessary than in developed countries. The objective of various e-Government initiatives has moved in the past decade towards establishing services offering greater accessibility for citizens. As a result, it is necessary to examine all possible factors to explain citizens' adoption and usage of such systems. Hence, numerous models of e-Government adoption and intention to use and their extensions have been proposed and applied to empirical studies. Obviously, e-Government has occurred due to the technological revolution following the diffusion of the Internet and the success of information systems (IS) in organisations and e-Commerce. However, regardless of their success within the general IS context, the models are limited in terms of considering the diversity of users; they tend to assume that all end-users are homogeneous. The end-users of e-Government systems are more diverse than e-Commerce, with comparisons of wider layers of user groups (for example, elderly and less well-educated people) who are more likely to encounter problems while interacting with e-Government systems. IS literature confirmed that usersâ technical capabilities and management support are influenced by their technical knowledge and expertise. Therefore, this research argues that perceived support quality is a new way of looking at citizensâ adoption and usage in the e-Government systemâs field and a major factor of e-Government systemâs acceptance, particularly in developing countries. This study is the first to examine the roles of perceived support quality and support satisfaction in the context of government-to-citizen (G2C), and it aims to advance knowledge within the field of e-Government by revealing the roles of perceived support quality and satisfaction towards behaviour intention and usage in developing countries. The proposed model builds upon Wixom and Toddâs (2005) theoretical model, which, in turn, was based on the integration of DeLone and McLean model (1992) into the technology acceptance model (TAM). The strength of the integrated model lies in its ability to guide both IT design and predict usage behaviours towards the system under investigation, and assume the overall theoretical model to maintain validity in G2C settings. Thirteen hypotheses were formulated to test the proposed research model. Behaviour intention to use e-Government services was proposed as the dependent variable, while the independent variables were information quality; information satisfaction; system quality; system satisfaction; social influence; performance expectancy; effort expectancy; perceived support quality and support satisfaction. A quantitative approach was deemed best suited to test the proposed model. Using a survey method (i.e. paper-based and an on-line survey), a total of 1252 responses was collected; however, only 628 were analysed. To test the proposed e-Government model, the state of Kuwait was chosen as the application area and the official website of Kuwait Government On-line Services (KGOS) was selected, since it offers a number of services on-line. Elements were citizens who have had prior experience with the KGOS website, and the survey was conducted from 5th August to 10th October 2010. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was selected as the statistical analysis technique with the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software. A total of 40 percent of the variance among the factors of support satisfaction, system satisfaction, information quality, effort expectancy and performance expectancy was explained by behavioural intention to use an e-Government system. All hypotheses were supported except for one. The findings confirm the significance to the support quality perceived by citizens, and also provide insights into whether user satisfaction literature and TAMs should be integrated to explain citizensâ intention to use e-Government systems. Thus, in terms of the theoretical implications, this study highlights the significance of recognising theoretical relationships when performing empirical research in e-Government settings. Consequently, to capture both the technical aspects and the services provided on-line, a new variable was introduced and renamed âperceived support qualityâ. Additionally, the model offers managers a new perspective for dealing with e-Government adoption by signifying the importance of support quality perceived by citizens. The proposed model provides government decision-makers in developing countries with an appropriate approach to determining which factors require attention in order to reap the highest benefits from e-Governmentsâ projects. This suggests paying less attention to the social influence (SI) factor and consider instead improving the quality of on-line support citizens demand
Exploring Digital Government transformation in the EU
This report presents the findings of the analysis of the state of the art conducted as part of the JRC research on âExploring Digital Government Transformation in the EU: understanding public sector innovation in a data-driven societyâ (DIGIGOV), within the framework of the âEuropean Location Interoperability Solutions for eGovernment (ELISE)" Action of the ISA2 Programme on Interoperability solutions for public administrations, businesses and citizens, coordinated by DIGIT. The results of the review of literature, based on almost 500 academic and grey literature sources, as well as the analysis of digital government policies in the EU Member States provide a synthetic overview of the main themes and topics of the digital government discourse. The report depicts the variety of existing conceptualisations and definitions of the digital government phenomenon, measured and expected effects of the application of more disruptive innovations and emerging technologies in government, as well as key drivers and barriers for transforming the public sector. Overall, the literature review shows that many sources appear overly optimistic with regard to the impact of digital government transformation, although the majority of them are based on normative views or expectations, rather than empirically tested insights. The authors therefore caution that digital government transformation should be researched empirically and with a due differentiation between evidence and hope. In this respect, the report paves the way to in-depth analysis of the effects that can be generated by digital innovation in public sector organisations. A digital transformation that implies the redesign of the tools and methods used in the machinery of government will require in fact a significant change in the institutional frameworks that regulate and help coordinate the governance systems in which such changing processes are implemented.JRC.B.6-Digital Econom
The Influence of International Organisations on the Realisation of Disability Mainstreaming in Turkey
This thesis examines the role of international organisations in disability mainstreaming policies in Turkey. Turkey is a particularly interesting case study, as it combines traditional values coupled with ambitions to be an internationally respected European state. International organisations include the European Union, the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Childrenâs Fund and Organization of Islamic Cooperation. A multidisciplinary approach was taken which involved social policy, history, disability studies, international relations, and politics. The research used a case study based on analysis of 275 policy documents, 47 semi-structured and two focus group interviews. The participants have all been directly involved in decision-making processes at international and/or local level. The thesis argues that disability mainstreaming is partial and selective as a result of the interaction between the traditional values and structures in Turkey and the aims and practices of international organisations
Education and quality of life of senior citizens
En la present guia s'ofereix, en primer lloc, els fonaments sobre els quals ha de construir-se qualsevol acciĂł educativa dirigida a estudiants majors, aixĂ com els conceptes bĂ sics sobre qualitat de vida relacionada amb les persones majors i les necessitats i riscos especĂfics de les persones majors, aixĂ com les oportunitats i potencialitats existents. L'increment de l'esperança de vida i de la salut aconsegueix que els majors siguen un grup cada vegada mĂ©s significatiu en la nostra societat europea; actualment no solament viuen mĂ©s anys i sĂłn mĂ©s actius sinĂł tambĂ© posseeixen major nivell de formaciĂł i inquietuds.This pedagogical guide is the first of the two main outcomes of the EduSenior project, the second being a tool designed to evaluate educational institutions. The guide can be used by any person interested in education for senior citizens. It introduces the main concepts of quality of life, ageing and the social context of the elderly to learn, first, about seniors' context and needs. It then explains the pedagogies, models, contents and staff skills that have the greatest impact on senior learners' quality of life. The guide also includes European information and experiences on each of these topics.En la presente guĂa se ofrece, en primer lugar, los fundamentos sobre los que debe construirse cualquier acciĂłn educativa dirigida a estudiantes mayores, asĂ como los conceptos bĂĄsicos sobre calidad de vida relacionada con las personas mayores y las necesidades y riesgos especĂficos de las personas mayores, asĂ como las oportunidades y potencialidades existentes. El incremento de la esperanza de vida y de la salud logra que los mayores sean un grupo cada vez mĂĄs significativo en nuestra sociedad europea; actualmente no solo viven mĂĄs años y son mĂĄs activos sino tambiĂ©n poseen mayor nivel de formaciĂłn e inquietudes
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