A study on service quality of E-Government applications in Eastern Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Electronic Government (e-Government) defines as a way for Government to use the most innovative information and communication technology, particularly web-based applications, to provide citizens and businesses with more convenient access to Government information and service and to provide greater opportunities to participate in democratic instructions and processes. In the current world climate, in which the lives of people have become ever more interconnected, governments have been using the power of information and communications technologies (ICT) for delivering sustainable social and economic services to their citizens. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) in 2005, launched the e-Sri Lanka Development Project (e-government policy, 2010), and the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) was established in July 2003 to implement the e-Sri Lanka Roadmap. As a huge amount of financial, physical, and human resources deployed in this e-Sri Lanka project it is very much essential to study or measure the quality of services delivery in Sri Lanka. This research intends to study on service quality of eGovernment applications in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. To accomplish the objectives of this research a specific methodology has been practiced. Relevant theories are derived from various sources and different models also analyzed. Primary data collected through the issuance of a questionnaire among 300 respondents considered the sample size for this study and secondary data derived from publications. To carry out this research a preliminary investigation on customer perception on e-Government services also conducted by the researcher: Quantitative and qualitative data were studied and used for this analysis. The study reveals that the Web site design, Reliability, Responsiveness, Personalization, Information, Easiness, Security, Participation of the citizen, and Transparency is critical dimensions to study the service quality of the e-government services. Further results indicated that respondents’ perceived service quality level of government service as low and moderate level. In addition to that, this study proves a strong positive significant relationship between the overall level of service quality of government services and e-Government effectiveness on e-government services in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. In order to improve and upgrade the service quality of e-government services in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, some recommendations have been given in this report. The findings of this study are significant for the sustainable development of e-government services in Sri Lanka and it is also satisfying the expectation and demand of the funding organizations for the development of eGovernment in Sri Lanka in their endeavors.