Measuring the public value of e‐government: a case study from Sri Lanka

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to present a case study on the public value of the e‐Sri Lanka program. Four major dimensions of public value creation through e‐government including the delivery of public services, the achievement of outcomes, the development of trust, and the effectiveness of public organizations are considered in evaluating the performance of the e‐Sri Lanka program. The progress of e‐Sri Lanka program is evaluated, and the potential areas for improvement in the development of e‐government in Sri Lanka are identified.Design/methodology/approachExisting methodologies for evaluating the public value of e‐government have been critically analyzed. The need for extending existing methodologies for better assessing the performance of e‐government is discussed. Consequently, an extended conceptual framework is developed for evaluating the public value of e‐government. Various national survey data in Sri Lanka on e‐government development are used for conducting the empirical analysis on the performance of the e‐Sri Lanka program.FindingsThe study reveals that the public value of e‐government in Sri Lanka is unsatisfactory in all the dimensions of public value generation. It shows that the proposed framework is effective in facilitating the identification of public value of e‐government in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the study shows that the lack of e‐services, the security threat to public information in public organizations, the low adoption of information and communication technologies in government, and the low uptake of available e‐government initiatives are the key reasons for such a poor performance in e‐government.Practical implicationsThe proposed framework can be used for evaluating the public value of e‐government. It provides individual governments with an effective means for better understanding the impact of their e‐government efforts on their citizens and societies, leading to better policies and strategies being made for the continuous development of e‐government.Originality/valueThe proposed framework would be the first approach in examining the public value of e‐government by considering all the dimensions of public value creation. It is the first in‐depth study of public value creation through e‐government in Sri Lanka. Such a study is significant to Sri Lanka giving that its e‐government development is at a crucial stage supported by various international aid organizations.