Citizens' perceptions of corruption and e-governance in Jordan, Ethiopia and Fiji - the need for a marketing approach

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to assess citizen's perceptions of corruption and e-governance in Jordan, Ethiopia, and Fiji. The research is based on surveys using structured questionnaires and focus group interviews. Conclusions are derived from a mix of descriptive and inferential analysis. The survey covers a total of 1212 respondents using stratified sampling. Findings reveal that public sector corruption and demands for bribes are increasing in each country. Only a few people are aware of e-governance and feel that it can help in curbing corruption. The study proposes that in order to mitigate negative forces in the implementation of egovernance such as corruption, digital divide, and urban bias, developing countries need to apply a marketing approach to e-governance services.

In Search of Local Knowledge on ICTs in Africa

“…Like much of the other literature reviewed, however, Moraa and her colleagues did not provide evidence that these technologies were having an impact on service delivery. E-governance (using ICTs to improve governance outcomes), e-government (increasing efficiency of government services through creation of publicly accessible online platforms), and mobile governance (m-governance) were also major themes in the literature (Atnafu et al 2011;Crandall and Mutuku 2011;Minishi-Majanja and Ondari-Okemwa 2009;Mitullah and Waema 2011;Mutula 2008;Pathak et al 2007;Pathak et al 2012;Rorissa and Demissie 2010;Singh et al 2010;Thomas et al 2010;Waema 2011;Yonazi et al 2012). Many of the pieces in this category, however, focused on measuring the e-readiness of towns and/or countries rather than evaluating the results of e-governance initiatives.…”

“…A handful of the e-governance studies (Atnafu et al, 2011;Crandall and Mutuku 2011;Mitulla and Waema 2011;Ochara 2012;Pathak et al 2007Pathak et al , 2012Singh et al 2010;Thomas et al 2010;Waema 2011;Yonazi et al 2012) attempted to assess the impact of e-government projects through interviews with citizens about how they themselves assess these initiatives. Crandall and Mutuku (2011) noted that health, education, and immigration services are among the top sectors employing e-services in Kenya, but found that most of the individuals surveyed believed face-to-face interaction with government is most effective.…”

“…Crandall and Mutuku (2011) noted that health, education, and immigration services are among the top sectors employing e-services in Kenya, but found that most of the individuals surveyed believed face-to-face interaction with government is most effective. Pathak et al (2007Pathak et al ( , 2012 and Singh et al (2010) conducted surveys that found that citizens believed e-government could reduce corruption and improve the relationship between citizens and the state. Thomas et al (2010) looked at four countries -Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Ghana -and four attempts to improve e-government technologies.…”

An empirical study of e-government diffusion in Fiji: a holistic and integrative approach

“…After extensive searching, we could find a total of ten articles only. A study by Pathak et al (2012) found that the main challenges for e-government development in Fiji were the establishment of integrated information systems through interdepartmental coordination, and achieving efficiency and effectiveness of e-services. The survey of Singh et al (2010) found that Fiji lacked the regulations and institutions to ensure the security of e-government services.…”

“…Second, the prior research tended to deal with different perspectives on Fiji e-government in an incoherent fashion. For example, three of the ten articles (Pathak et al 2009(Pathak et al , 2012Singh et al 2010) investigated the possible effect of e-government on corruption, two on service delivery, and two on government websites. Most of the studies were conducted from the supply (government) perspective.…”