IT Governance in E-Government Implementations in the Caribbean: Key Characteristics and Mechanisms

• Published in: Information Technology Governance in Public Organizations Vol. 38; pp. 201 - 227
• Main Authors: Bailey, Arlene, Minto-Coy, Indianna, Thakur, Dhanaraj
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2017; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Integrated Series in Information Systems
• Subjects: Business mathematics & systems; Caribbean; Developing countries; E-Governance; E-Government; IT governance; Public administration
• ISBN: 3319589776; 9783319589770
• ISSN: 1571-0270; 2197-7968
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-58978-7_9

There have been sustained calls related to the need for countries to improve public service delivery as well as the methods by which governments interface with citizens. E-government strategies have been proposed and developed with the aim of transforming the operations and effectiveness of public bodies. As a grouping of small island states, The Caribbean region is faced with unique institutional and structural challenges to the adoption and implementation of these measures. The results of various E-government strategies have been varied across the board. It is recognized that a key component in the implementation and further development of e-government initiatives entails the supporting IT governance framework. This paper offers a critical assessment of e-government strategies across the Caribbean focusing on the challenges, success factors and opportunities for implementation. The study explores the challenges and opportunities for advancing in and beyond e-government to C-government and more generally, in utilising emerging technologies and innovations, facilitated by IT governance mechanisms, towards improved public governance.