The Relevance of Telecenters in the Delivery of Government Services: Learnings from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Ayesha Zainudeen, Helani Galpaya, Ranjula Senaratna Perera · SSRN Electronic Journal · 2013
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have embarked on government funded e-government and telecenter initiatives, with the telecenters being a central delivery channel for e-Gov services. But with rising income and education levels, wide availability of mobile phones among the poor as well as increasing attention paid to m-Government, are telecenters still relevant in the delivery of citizen services and should they be subsidized by government? Using survey data of 2750 poor citizens living within 5km of 275 randomly selected telecenters in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, we attempt to answer this question, along with the following: Is the target population of telecenters (the poor) aware or using telecenters in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? Are they using them to access government services? What are the barriers to greater use of telecenters for accessing government services? What factors might account for varying awareness and use of telecenters to access government services?The results show higher awareness and use of telecenters in general, and specifically to access e-Gov services. The results show that while residents within the telecenter catchment area in Sri Lanka have other commercial internet houses they can use, are more educated, richer and have higher access to internet and computers in their households compared those in Bangladesh. This may explain the higher dependence on telecenters in Bangladesh. But in addition, the operational model of telecenters in Bangladesh may also be a factor – by being co-located within the Union Parishad (lowest government service office), telecenters provide a one-stop-shop for citizens and also gain an air of legitimacy as a provider of government forms and services. The results also show that while there’s willingness to use the mobile phone to access government services, it’s a long way from posing a ‘threat’ to telecenters as a competing channel for e-Gov services for the poor.These and other findings are directly relevant to policy makers and designers of telecenters and e-Gov services in developing countries – because where the telecenter is located, how it’s operated and what services are provided have an impact on how well public fund are utilized.