Reckoning Electronic Government Progress in Bangladesh

Abstract

In the context of the recent interest and enthusiasm regarding e-government, this article proffers an overview of e-government by focusing on its conceptual development and experimental practices with a particular focus on Bangladesh. The study primarily draws on an extensive review of the secondary literature together with personal insights of the authors gained in the course of engagements with selected e-government related projects in Bangladesh. It explores, inter alia, the conceptual setting by examining the key definitional issues and models of e-government; reviews e-government as a practice at the global and developing country contexts; and examines the policy frame and infrastructural status of e-government in Bangladesh. Major challenges and constraints on wider application of e-government in Bangladesh are identified and some clues on possible improvement of the situation are also explored. Despite many constraints, a degree of positive change is already noticeable in reducing the digital divide in the country.