Public Sector E-Service Development in Bangladesh: Status, Prospects and Challenges

FINAL Thesis 2010-06-03
FINAL Thesis (Ver 10.7): M. Shakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan Page 1 of 21
Public Sector E-Service Development in Bangladesh: Status, Prospects and Challenges
M. Shakhawat Hossain Bhuiyan
E-Government- Master Program
Swedish Business School, Örebro University, Sweden [e-mail] Abstract
Rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) creates extensive opportunities for efficient and cost effective public service delivery. Most developed countries have established electronic services since several years, while most of the developing countries have started lately. Bangladesh has also started to prioritize e-service development in the national agenda
e.g. dissemination of service information through websites, availability of official forms online, utility bill payment through mobile phone SMS. There is yet a lack of studies capturing the overall picture of such initiatives and progress in the country. Hence, the aim of this study is to examine various public e-service development initiatives in Bangladesh, assess their e-service maturity level, and expedite implementation of such services.
The study is based on both survey and interview approaches. A survey on 44 public officials, working for e-government implementation in different ministries and central public authorities, was conducted using a structured questionnaire. In addition, nine top-level officials involved in the government policy intervention were interviewed. A literature review covers theoretical tools on measuring and implementing e-government applications such as stage models. The survey and interview results aligned with a well-known stage model have provided an overall picture of public e-service initiatives in
Bangladesh. The study has identified existing major e-services and assessed the overall maturity level of the services. The study also contributes

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