Strengthening digital inclusion through e-government: cohesive ICT training programs to intensify digital competency

Abstract

Governments around the globe are in a quest for successful egovernment services. In this pursuit, one of the most significant barriers to e-government resilience is insufficient training. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of ICT training programs on the success of e-government services to improve digital competency along with decreasing the digital divide concerning developing societies. The pragmatic research process served as a baseline of this study, and a quasi-experimental research approach was implemented for testing the control group. The results of e-government training revealed a significant increase in the trainees' self-efficacy regarding the use of egovernment applications. This study proved that e-government ICT training programs directed at citizens can create a positive impact in conjunction with increasing digital literacy. Such training programs could also lessen the digital divide, enrich citizens' potential, and promote more equitable usage of public services in developing societies.

Barriers Affecting the Effectiveness of Digital Literacy Training Programs (DLTPs) for Marginalised Populations: A Systematic Literature Review

“…These reasons included low perceived usefulness (Berkowsky et al 2013;Poveda 2018), lack of trust (Chohan and Hu 2020) and fear of making mistakes (Gatti et al 2017). Additionally, on an individual level, a few scholars have specified technophobia as one reason for not switching to using ICTs (Arthanat et al 2016;Chohan and Hu 2020;Dutta and Mathur 2014;Ogbonnaya-Ogburu et al 2019;Rabayah 2008). The embarrassment further reiterates this over a lack of digital self-efficacy (Kuo et al 2013;Rikard et al 2018), inconsistent knowledge base (Gatti et al 2017;Mayhorn et al 2004), lack of confidence (Ogbonnaya-Ogburu et al 2019;Rommes et al 2005), lack of self-esteem (Khan and Ghadially 2009;Rommes et al 2005) and lack of time (Poveda 2018).…”

“…Low funds then lead to the lesser geographical coverage of the DLTPs(Poveda 2018). Moreover, the IEC activities are not adequately organised(Chohan and Hu 2020;Madon et al 2009). Without standardised strategies, all efforts remain inefficacious Kantamneni and Chintalapati (2013).…”

Does IoT service orchestration in public services enrich the citizens’ perceived value of digital society?

“…IS success model (Delone & McLean, 2003), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989) which was further modified as UTAUT (Venkatesh et al, 2003) and Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Montano et al, 2008). These particular theories were adopted by many IS researchers in the context of citizens' intention to use public sector services (Alshehri et al, 2012;Chohan & Hu, 2020a;Hu et al, 2019;Liang et al, 2017). In this section, we provide an overview of the literature on smart government service, IoT service orchestration, digital society affinity, and public perceived value.…”

“…As the public sector seeks to innovate, embrace emerging technologies, and embark on the technology journey, integration becomes the smart path to success. The increasing growth of information and communication technology (ICT) has motivated the government to present innovative technologies in public services (Bolívar & Manuel, 2016;Chohan & Hu, 2020a;Todisco et al, 2020). Digital online platforms have significantly penetrated every field of society (van Dijck, 2019) especially in digital initiatives of smart government, to develop innovative models of service distribution by integrating physical, digital, and public environment (Rochet & Correa, 2016;Scholl & Scholl, 2014).…”

Digital citizen empowerment: A systematic literature review of theories and development models

“…Empowered citizens form the backbone of a well-functioning democracy (Sørensen, 1997). For some time, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been accepted and promoted by governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) as being instrumental in empowering their citizens by improving their capabilities and the control they have over their own lives (Chohan & Hu, 2020a;Stone & Can, 2021). Empowerment as a concept is related to the word 'power', i.e.…”