Analysis of Factors that Affect Government Digitization: A Pilot Case Study of Pakistan

Abstract

One of the greatest factors that affects the economic condition of a country is its institutions. In the model of good governance, the primary elements for stronger institution include efficiency, transparency, and accountability; and technology plays a major role in improving these elements. However, there are myriad of challenges when it comes to practical integration of technology in these institutions for efficiency. It is more challenging when a country is developing and one that is already weak economically. It is also important to mention that the challenges of digitization in public sector is not limited to developing countries only. It is equally challenging, even today, in already developed countries to digitally transform their public institutions for improved policymaking and for responsive service delivery. Many factors contribute to the failure of such digitization initiatives, more so within developing countries. And the purpose of this paper is to identify those factors, to measure the significance of each of those factors, and to realize and overcome them. This research considered the case study of Pakistan; however, the results are very likely to match the conditions of other developing regions around the world. Through questionnaires and interviews, valuable feedback was gathered from up to 25 senior government officers that are closely associated with digitization initiatives in public sector. The feedback to the questions were overall unanimous. The results indicate the most significant of factors that affect government digitization in this developing region, including some factors that were not expected.