e-Government Lessons from South Africa 2001-2011: Institutions, State of Progress and Measurement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/19712Keywords:
electronic governance, South Africa, stagnation, migrationAbstract
Electronic governance is the future of public governance globally. Governments that do not make the transition from paper-based systems of public administration to electronic platforms of public governance may swiftly undermine their chances of developing their societies as 21st century information societies. At the turn of the century, South Africa started out as a leader in e-government among developing countries. A decade later, it has been surpassed by states that were much less developed. Why did this happen? Can the competitive edge that South Africa had 10 years ago be regained, and if so, how? This article summarises the strategic importance of the shift from paper-based public administration to electronic governance. It uses the Rorissa, Demissie and Pardo (2011) model of e-government assessment to analyse progress in South Africa’s migration to a digital state. It presents a perspective on institutional arrangements, the state of e-government and the e-barometer measurement approach. It discusses the reasons behind the decade-long stagnation in the South African migration to electronic platforms of governance and concludes by identifying the main policy and implementation lessons that can be learned. These lessons may have relevance to many developing countries, including those on the African continent.
References
Abrahams, L. (2009). e-Governance policy 1999-2009: Paths and limitations to progress. Journal of Public Administration December 2009, 44(4.1), pp. 1010-1025.
Abrahams, L. & Newton-Reid, L. (2008). e-Governance for social and local economic development: Gauteng city region perspective. LINK Public Policy Paper Series No.9, LINK Centre, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Bhatnagar, S. (2000). Social implications of information and communication technology in developing countries: Lessons from Asian success stories. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 1(4), pp. 1-10, accessed 23 April 2004 from http://www.ejisdc.org/.
Cape Gateway (2004). Integrated access portal to services and facilities provided by the Western Cape Provincial Government in South Africa, accessed 06 April 2004 from http://www.capegateway.gov.za/.
Cloete, F. (2005). Maximising the potential of transforming policy failure into policy success: E-government, the digital divide and e-development. In Petroni, G & Cloete, F (eds). New Technologies in Public Administration, International Institute of Administrative Sciences, Monograph Volume 28, ISO Press, Brussels, pp. 113-132. https://doi.org/10.18820/9781919980270
Cloete, F. (2003). Strategic management support technologies in the public sector. African Sun Media, Stellenbosch.
Cloete, F. (2000). At full speed the tiger cubs stumbled. HSRC, Pretoria.
Cloete, F. & Needham, H. (2004). Fullfilling the promise? Spatial technologies and local government management in South Africa. Administratio Publica, 12(2), pp. 70-101.
Dada, D. (2006). The failure of e-government in developing countries: A literature review. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 27(6), pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2006.tb00176.x
De Tolly, K., Maumbe, B. & Alexander, H. (2006). Rethinking e-government development: Issues, lessons and future prospects for the Cape Gateway portal in South Africa. In Cunningham, P. & Cunningham, M. (eds), IST-Africa 2006 conference proceedings, IIMC International Information Management Corporation, 2006, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://www.ist-africa.org/Conference2006/.
DoC (2011). e-Barometer: Measuring the impact of ICTs on development in South Africa. Department of Communications, Pretoria.
DPSA (2001). e-Government policy. Department of Public Administration (DPSA), Pretoria, accessed 23 May 2010 from http://www.dpsa.gov.za/documents/acts®ulations/frameworks/.
Egov4dev (2003). Cases of e-government success and failure from developing/transitional countries, accessed 22 April 2004 from http://www.egov4dev.org/causefactor.htm/.
EJISDC (2011). Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries website, accessed 27 August 2011 from http://www.ejisdc.org.
GITOC (2011a). Government Information Technology Officers Council website, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://www.gitoc.gov.za/index.php/about-gitoc.
GITOC (2011b). Towards a government-wide ICT strategy. Unpublished GITOC working paper, June 2011, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://www.gitoc.gov.za/index.php/the-news/51-towards-a-government-wide-ict-strategy.
Harris, C. & Harris, R. (2011). Information and communication technologies for cultural transmission among indigenous peoples. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 4(2), pp. 1-19, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2011.tb00287.x
Heeks, R. (2002). e-Government in Africa: Promise and practice. Information Polity 7, pp. 97-114, https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-2002-0102
Heeks, R. (2001). Understanding e-governance for development. e-Government Working Paper No. 11, IDPM, Manchester, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/nispacee/unpan015484.pdf.
Heeks, R. (ed) (1999). Reinventing government in the information age: International practice in IT-enabled public sector reform. Routledge, London.
Kaisara. G. & Pather, S. (2009). e-Government in South Africa: e-service quality access and adoption factors. Informatics and Design Papers and Reports, Paper 26, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, accessed 10 April 2012 from http://dk.cput.ac.za/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=inf_papers.
Khalil, O. (2011). e-Government readiness: Does national culture matter? Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 388-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.07.005
Kooiman, J. (ed) (1993). Modern governance: Government-society interactions. Sage, London.
Lin, F. Fofanah, S. & Liang, D. (2011). Assessing citizen adoption of e-government initiatives in Gambia: A validation of the technology acceptance model in information systems success. Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 271-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.09.004
Mahlong, A. & Jones, C. (2010). GSSC’s wings clipped. ITWeb, 20 January 2012, accessed 12 February 2012 from http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29406:gsscs-wings-clipped&catid=69.
Mawson, N. (2012). Govt IT fails SA. ITWeb, 20 January 2012, accessed 09 February 2012 from http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50767:govt-it-fails-sa.
Mawson, N. & Rasool, F. (2012). DPSA fails to deliver, accessed 31 January 2012 from http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51079:dpsa-fails-to-deliver.
Missingham, R. (2011). e-Parliament: Opening the door. Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 426-434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.09.004
Naidoo, G. (2007). e-Government in South Africa. A perspective on issues and challenges. In D. Remenyi (ed). Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference in e-Government, 27-28 September 2007, University of Montreal, Redding, pp. 341-350.
Narayan, G. (2007). Addressing the digital divide: e-Governance and m-governance in a hub and spoke model. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 31(1), pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2007.tb00229.x
Netherlands (2004). Does e-government pay off? Report by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations, Netherlands, accessed 15 March 2005 from http://www.tno.nl/bestanden/informatie_en_communicatietechnologie/does_e_government_pay_off.pdf.
PNC–ISAD (2011). Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development website, accessed 30 August 2011 from http://www.pnc.gov.za/.
PNC–ISAD (2010). Strategic plan 2010-2013, Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development (PNC–ISAD), Pretoria, accessed 30 August 2011 from http://www.pnc.gov.za/index.php/isad-documents/cat_view/63-isad-documents.
PNC–ISAD (2009). Provincial information society strategy programme 2009, Second Annual Progress Report, PNC–ISAD, Pretoria, accessed 30 August 2011from http://www.pnc.gov.za/index.php/isad-documents/cat_view/67-planning-a-foresight.
PNC–ISAD (2006). Towards an inclusive information society for South Africa: Information Society and Development Plan. PNC–ISAD, Pretoria, accessed 30 August 2011 from http://www.pnc.gov.za/index.php/isad-documents/cat_view/63-isad-documents.
PNC–ISAD (2005). Plan towards 2014. PNC–ISAD brochure, Pretoria, accessed 12 February 2012 from http://www.pnc.gov.za/images/stories/booklet/pncexecsummarycontent1.pdf.
PRC (1998). Towards a culture of good governance. Report of the Presidential Commission on the Reform and Transformation of the Public Service in South Africa, PRC, Pretoria, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://www.polity.org.za/polity/govdocs/reports/presreview/index.html.
PGWC (2005). Cape Gateway evaluation. Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC), November 2005, Radian, Cape Town, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://www.capegateway.gov.za/Text/2006/3/radian_cg_eval_v1.pdf.
Rasool, F. (2011). Gauteng Online is failing. ITWeb, 13 July 2011, accessed 09 February 2012 from http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45334:gauteng-online-is-failing.
Reddick, C. (2011). Customer relations management (CRM) technology and organizational change: Evidence of the bureaucratic and e-government paradigms. Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 346-353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.10.005
Rorissa, A., Demissie, D. & Pardo, T. (2011). Benchmarking e-government: A comparison of frameworks for computing e-government index and ranking. Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 354-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.10.006
Splettstoesser, D. & Kimaro, F. (2000). Benefits of IT-based decision-making in developing countrie., Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 3(3), pp. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2000.tb00018.x
UN–DPADM (2003). e-Government for development. Newsletter 1(106), Division of Public Administration and Development Management (UN–DPADM), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York.
UN–DPEPA (2001). Benchmarking e-government: A global perspective. United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration (UN-DPEPA), New York.
UN–HDR (2001). Making technologies work for development. 2001 Human Development Report, United Nations, New York.
UNPAN (2003). e-Government at the cross-roads. World Public Sector Report 2003, United Nations, New York, accessed 31 August 2011 from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan012733.pdf.
Unwin, T. (2011). ICTs, citizens, and the state: Moral philosophy and development practices. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 44(1), pp. 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2011.tb00287.x
Van den Berg, L., van der Meer, A., van Winden, W. & Woets, P. (2006). Synthesis: Comparing e-governance in cities. Chapter 11 in Van den Berg, L., van der Meer, A., van Winden, W. & Woets, P. (2006). e-Governance in European and South African cities, European Institute for Comparative Urban Research, Ashgate, London, pp 199-241.
Visser, W. & Twinomurinzi, H. (2009). e-Government and public service delivery: Enabling ICT to put ‘people first’. A case study from South Africa, Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics & Informatics 6(6), pp. 36-41.
Wagner, C., Cheung, K. & Fion Lee, R. (2003). Enhancing e-government in developing countries: Managing knowledge through virtual communities. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 14(4), pp. 1-20, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2003.tb00095.x
Weerakkody, V., Janssen, M. & Dwivedi, Y. (2011). Transformational change and business process reengineering (BPR): Lessons from the British and Dutch public sector. Government Information Quarterly 28, pp. 320-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.07.010
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
- Abstract 348
- pdf 170
.png){kind=spacer}