Does e-governance bring accountability in rural local administration in Bangladesh?

Abstract

With the onset of information revolution, many developing countries have looked at IT as a possible new tool to solve age-old problems of poverty, bad governance, and sluggish economic growth. In Bangladesh, e-Governance has been talked about a lot; some government offices have even taken innovative steps towards certain e-Government projects. Since this is a new concept for government officials who are used to familiar methods of work, the growth of e-Governance is met with resistance and fear, among other infrastructural problems [1]. Local government institutions are the cornerstones of democracy. The central government reaches its remotest citizens through local government institutions and vice versa. On the other hand, in order to deliver need-driven services to citizens in an efficient and effective manner and to be participant and responsive, local government institutions need to be self-governed or democratic. A democratic or self-governed local government not only improves the immediate living conditions of people, but also leads to more equitable relationships in the society, which is a prerequisite for sustainable socio-economic development and poverty reduction. The use of ICT can be an effective tool to improve the local government’s service delivery and bring it closer to citizens. Application of ICT enhances access to and delivery of services to benefit the citizen and to strengthen government’s capacity to make informed decision and coordinate service delivery in transparent and efficient way [5]. It helps overcome the limitations of traditional paper and physical-based systems. In order to improve the efficiency and transparency of the local government bodies, integrating ICT in their operations is a key strategy. Communication and information sharing over the mobile phones and Internet is significantly less time-consuming than conventional method of communication i.e. through surface mails. Paper-based procedures can be replaced by automation and digitalization of all data and records. More importantly, inter and intra-agency horizontal and vertical electronic connectivity increases operational efficiency as well as simplifies decision-making processes [2]. For example, application of ICTs such digital record-keeping system, online file tracking system, online form submission can help decision making faster and efficient. A digitally accessible database of all necessary rulesregulation, meeting minutes, budget data etc. bring higher level of transparency in the organization. In addition to internal operation efficiency and decision-making, information delivery to the citizens can also be made easier through the use of ICT. So this study concerns the inevitability as well as challenges and prospect of e-Governance Union Parishad in Bangladesh. The main objective of this study is to identify and chalk out the prospect of e-Governance at local level administration in Bangladesh. To fulfillment of the main objective, following objects have been specified: