M-government for developing countries: A readiness framework Figure 1: M-government interaction G2G Government-to-government: between government Census taking, and mobile communications and levels (national to local) or departments applications used within medicine, policing and G2E Government-to-employee: between government Employee self-service applications G2B and B2G Government-to-business and business-to-government: Tax-filing applications and tendering between government and business information G2C and C2G Government-to-citizen and citizen-to-government: Information services, service delivery, between government and its citizens m-participation, m-health and information lines Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2014/15 29 Mobile government, usually abbreviated to m-government, refers to the use of mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) in operational and managerial public administration. Most see m-government as a particular modality, extension or natural progression of electronic government (e-government). Some tout its potential to elevate e-government service and delivery to a new level, or even to allow governments to leapfrog some intermediate levels of e-government maturity. The latter promise makes it a particularly attractive proposition for governments in least developed and developing countries that are often still struggling to implement more basic forms of e-governance, both internally and with external stakeholders (see Figure 1). The most visible driver for m-governance is the huge increase in penetration of mobile phones among the citizens of developing nations, providing them not only with a communication tool, but also a device with significant computing capabilities. The last few years have seen a strong move from feature phones to smart(er) phones capable of a huge array of custom applications. However, the promises of m-government are often punted by eager would-be vendors with personal financial interests at heart, or by transnational government agencies or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which may not fully appreciate the constraints, culture and other contextual factors at play in particular countries. This article reports on the results from empirically based mgovernment research projects in Africa, which are hopefully of use to local and national government policy and decision-makers. The first part of this article is a framework for assessing m-government readiness while the second part considers some additional reflections. A framework for m-government readiness in DCs and LDCs Developing countries (DCs), in particular least developed countries (LDCs), not only face a number of unique economic-based constraints, which may include limited financial and human resources, technology reservoirs or infrastructure, but also have reduced political options, as well as unique social and cultural dynamics. Taking this into account, we attempted to create a framework for assessing m-government readiness, which was based on an extensive literature review but grounded in an empirical context (Malawi). However, most of the framework should be at least partially applicable to any developing context, even regional governments in developing regions within more developed countries. The theoretical grounding of the framework derives from constructs such as culture readiness, leadership readiness, user/customer readiness, competency readiness, technology readiness, tasks, legal readiness and partnerships (Al-Omari and Al- Omari, 2006; Fasanghari et al., 2010; Tornatzky and Fleisher, 1990). Readiness should not be measured quantitatively but, rather, be assessed qualitatively. We define m-readiness of government as the capacity to utilise mobile technologies (MTs), in relation to organisational objectives, and to migrate from traditional routine government business to new methodologies to conduct business. It is a combination of technology, organisational systems and processes, structures, culture, leadership and governance, which enhances organisational competence or capability (Meyer, 2010; Hernandez and Noruzi, Jean-Paul Van Belle Interaction Description Examples education and its employees This article is adapted from Mtingwi, J. and Van Belle, J., 2013. ‘E-government status and m-government readiness in Malawi’. In: Z. Mahmood, ed. 2013. E-Government Implementation and Practice in Developing Countries. Pennsylvania: Information Science Reference, pp. 211–241.
CEP template 2012
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