Barriers to transforming government in Jamaica

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to highlight the barriers inhibiting the implementation of initiatives that seek to transform the efficiency, effectiveness and service delivery of government processes and systems through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs, e-Government) in Jamaica. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology used for this study was “Qualitative Description”. Qualitative Description is guided by the Qualitative Descriptive Research Design and is epistemologically located within the Interpretivist Paradigm. The data collected for this study were based on the principle of judgmental sampling. In total, 23 experts working at various levels of e-Government implementation in Jamaica were interviewed for this study. Findings – It can be argued from the data analyzed that the factors which undermine the use of ICTs to improve government efficiency, effectiveness and public service delivery in Jamaica include: technical issues (ICT infrastructure, privacy and security), social issues (culture and the digital divide) and financial issues. Organizational issues such as top management support, resistance to change to electronic ways, lack of collaboration, lack of qualified personnel and training courses were not identified as barriers to e-Government in Jamaica. Research limitations/implications – The direct implications of the study are confined to the shores of Jamaica. Practical implications – This study provides government agencies in Jamaica with an opportunity to identify the practical gaps in e-Government implementation. At the global level, the study provides international development agencies that are currently funding, and those that have an interest in funding e-Government initiatives in Jamaica, with an understanding of the challenges to e-Government implementation in the country. Additionally, the study provides an opportunity for scholars doing cross-national qualitative study to compare and contrast the e-Government barriers identified in Jamaica with other countries and to further determine factors which may contribute to these similarities and differences and explore a possible holistic solution to these barriers. Social implications – The study draws attention to the problem of exclusion for those citizens affected by the digital divide, the problem of infrastructure and/or structural challenges such as poverty and are unable to access e-Government services. The study also highlights the problem of trust in the government by Jamaican citizens and the implication of this trust issue for e-Government implementation in the country. Originality/value – The study addresses the global scholarly and policy gap in the literature, as it relates to Caribbean experiences with barriers to e-Government implementation and, therefore, provides data for global comparative analysis. The study also contributes to global attempts to holistically understand the e-Government phenomenon by extending the current discourse to the Caribbean.