Two Case Studies of Social and Economic Impacts of e-Government

1. Two Case Studies of Social and Economic Impacts of e-Government Volodymyr Lysenko

2. Bhoomi – Computerization of Land Records • Computerization of 20 million records of land ownership • Previously: big delays and harassment, bribes • Now: a printed copy of the record can be obtained online with moderate fees

3. Application Context • In the manual system, land records were maintained by 9,000 village accountants, each serving a cluster of 3-4 villages. • For various reasons, the village accountant could afford to ignore “mutation” requests. • In practice, it could take up to years for the records to be updated. • A typical bribe for a certificate could range from Rs 100-2,000, and up to Rs 10,000. • Land records were not open to public scrutiny.

4. New Approach • A first-come-first-serve discipline. • An inward and outward register is maintained. • A 50% jump in the number of mutation requests. • An authentication log makes an officer accountable for her decisions and actions. • Plans for opening 1,000 kiosks state-wide, with public-private partnerships. • Other services could be added to the content.

5. Implementation Challenges • Poor quality of manual records • Enormity of the data entry task • Poor work quality by data entry agencies – validation was necessary • Electrical power interruptions and delays in maintenance of computers • Careful staff selection and training is necessary

6. Strong Political Support • 12 state-level information seminars for 1,200 senior and mid-level officers • State ministers actively highlighted the importance of the project publicly • Members of the Legislative Assembly officially visited the kiosks

7. Independent Evaluation • Ease in use • Only one person is necessary for help • More error-free documents • Reliability and timeliness of the rectification requests responses • Mostly only one visit is necessary • Reduced corruption • Better staff behavior • Other social benefits

8. Key Lessons • There was a champion who worked a 15-hour day for over a year for the project • Strict field supervision is needed (through empowered citizens committees and NGOs) • Manually written records were officially declared illegal • Systems should be allowed to stabilize and prove their sustainability over a two-year period before attempting any replication

9. Gyandoot Project • Establishment of the community-owned, technologically innovative information kiosks in a poor rural area • Local rural youth act as entrepreneurs, running information kiosks along commercial lines • Two awards for the project in 2000 • Evaluations in 2002-3 indicated that the project has begun to falter

10. Implementation • Reliability problems with the dial-up connection • Resistance from the small-time politicians and the lower-level bureaucracy • The success of the project depends on the motivation of the kiosk managers • A public awareness campaign has been launched in the district to promote the kiosks

11. Key Features • Involvement of the project champion who closely monitored the manual processes of handling complaints at the back end and made sure that district offices were responsive • Within a short period of one year attendance at the kiosks has dwindled sharply to less than one user per kiosks per day • Reasons and possible treatment?