Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy

Purpose – This paper aims to present a case study on the public value of the e-Sri Lanka program. Four major dimensions of public value creation through e-government including the delivery of public services, the achievement of outcomes, the development of trust, and the effectiveness of public organizations are considered in evaluating the performance of the e-Sri Lanka program. The progress of e-Sri Lanka program is evaluated, and the potential areas for improvement in the development of e-government in Sri Lanka are identified.

Design/methodology/approach – Existing methodologies for evaluating the public value of e-government have been critically analyzed. The need for extending existing methodologies for better assessing the performance of e-government is discussed. Consequently, an extended conceptual framework is developed for evaluating the public value of e-government. Various national survey data in Sri Lanka on e-government development are used for conducting the empirical analysis on the performance of the e-Sri Lanka program.

Findings – The study reveals that the public value of e-government in Sri Lanka is unsatisfactory in all the dimensions of public value generation. It shows that the proposed framework is effective in facilitating the identification of public value of e-government in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the study shows that the lack of e-services, the security threat to public information in public organizations, the low adoption of information and communication technologies in government, and the low uptake of available e-government initiatives are the key reasons for such a poor performance in e-government.

Practical implications – The proposed framework can be used for evaluating the public value of e-government. It provides individual governments with an effective means for better understanding the impact of their e-government efforts on their citizens and societies, leading to better policies and strategies being made for the continuous development of e-government.

Originality/value – The proposed framework would be the first approach in examining the public value of e-government by considering all the dimensions of public value creation. It is the first in-depth study of public value creation through e-government in Sri Lanka. Such a study is significant to Sri Lanka giving that its e-government development is at a crucial stage supported by various international aid organizations.