E-government Adoption in Sri Lanka - Barriers and Challenges from International Perception; A Literature Review

Abstract

E-government is commonly introduced as governments ‘use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) combined with organizational change to improve the structures and operations of government. Egovernments are characterized by providing increased levels of convenient efficiency to citizens, while ensuring a better quality of customer service and convenience in accessing better information. Many technical and nontechnical obstacles are faced in the adoption and dissemination of e-government regardless of how advanced a country in terms of ICT infrastructure and deployment is. The understanding of e-government barriers and challenges is a significant strategic phase toward reliable and effective e-government adoption. The aim of the study is to identify barriers and challenges in adopting egovernment in Sri Lanka. A range of earlier studies in India, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, UAE have been critically examined and analysed to identify challenges of egovernment. This paper then presents a critical analysis of barriers and challenges experienced in public sector organisations in the light of Sri Lankan context using an e government architecture consisted of four layers. Findings reveal that Sri Lanka faces more or less similar challenges including financial constraints, policy barriers, infrastructure, lack of integration across government systems and organizations, change management, security risks and trust issues and low IT literacy which should be addressed in a holistic approach. Introducing a new e government and ICT policy is recommended as an initial step to overcome the barriers and challenges.