The Development of Information and Communication Technology: E-Governance in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example

The Development of Information and Communication Technology: E-Governance in Saudi Arabia – A Case Study Introduction/Problem ment and Rationale: The modern day has witnessed an array of technological innovations across the world that transformed the entire concept of communication. With the advent of computer and internet, the process of communication has become more efficient, cost effective and fast. Taking cue from the situation, developed nations in the West have integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) not only into their business activities but also in public administration and governance. Due to this, these countries have been able to attain overall efficiency in private as well as public sectors, which has further helped in enhancing the standard of living for their citizens. The riots during 2011 in the Middle East stand as testimony to the public resentment about the lack of “accountability from their governments” and the need for efficiency in public administration, especially in countries like Saudi Arabia (Al-Nuaim, 2011, p.3). Thus, a system of e-governance by integrating ICT into public administration will help the country in attaining efficiency as well as transparency in it government. E-governance refers to the introduction of ICT to facilitate “efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability” in all the transactions of the government with various agencies such as state, municipal and local authorities, citizens, business and other organizations etc (Dwivedi & Bharti, 2005, p.37). Research evidence further suggests that apart from enabling ease and speed to communication processes, ICT also facilitates “efficient storage, retrieval and processing of data” and thus provides a cost effective platform for the exchange of information among government agencies, business entities, institutions and the public at large (e Governments: Conceptual framework, n.d). Thus, it transpires that implementation of ICT into the governance of a country can fetch several advantages that will optimize the efficiency of overall governance. Saudi Arabia is a country that has plenty of natural resources like oil and a proper system of e-government will be able to steer the country to the path of economic growth and social development. Aim and Objectives of the Study: This study will attempt to identify areas where the governance in Saudi Arabia can be improved by utilizing the potential of ICT through implementing a system of e-governance in the country. In fact, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched an e-governance program in 2005, for implementation through the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, and as evidence indicates, this initiative has been able to fetch “good progress” within the five years and the country has attained considerable advancement when compared to other nations in the UN assessment of e-governance implementation (S4 p.8). This project has borne fruits in terms of its success in facilitating over “50%” services as “full transactional” e-services and attainment of a half of the specific objectives targeted through the program (Second National e-Government Action Plan, 2012, p.8). Therefore, the primary focus of this study will be to evaluate the success of the e-governance policies of Saudi Arabia so far and secondarily it will identify the areas where further implementation of e-governance will assist in attaining development. Another significant factor in this context is that the Saudi labour market has always been riddled with imbalances due to this problem the country has had to depend on foreign labour, which in turn has caused an increase in the “unemployment of Saudis” especially youngsters in the age group of 20-24 years to “30.2 per cent” (The Saudi Employment Strategy, 2011, p.1). Thus, the Saudi authorities have instituted the “Saudization policies” that aim at the indigenization of the labour force by eschewing the practice of employing foreign nationals in both private and public sectors (p.1). Though this may mitigate the problem of unemployment to a certain extent, on the flip side, the country may encounter an issue of talent drain. Thus, they will have to revamp their education and job oriented training systems to produce skilled human resources to meet the requirements. Therefore, e-governance in the future will have to focus more actively on educational institutions and business organizations to facilitate efficiency in this regard. Hence, this aspect will be one of the objectives of this study. Research Questions: In order to find the relevance of further implementation of e-governance programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the study will evaluate the e-governance programme instituted during the year 2005. The study will also assess the programme’s effectiveness in attaining success in this regard and also how far the objectives have been attained. Besides, it will also identify the areas where shortfalls have occurred and suggest appropriate measures to fill the gaps. To achieve these objectives the study will attempt to answer the following research questions: 1. What were the goals and objectives set out for the 2005 e-governance programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: 2. To what extent these goals have been achieved by the end of the specified period from 2005 – 2010? 3. What are the areas where shortfalls have occurred, the reasons thereof and how these gaps can be filled? 4. What is the current status of the next plan? 5. What are the areas where specific programmes need to be implemented in future? 6. What policies and programmes are required to be implemented at this stage, especially with reference to the likely drain of talent in the near future as a consequence of the plan for Saudization? Research Methodology: A research study of this magnitude will have to consider both the quantitative as well as the qualitative aspects of the implementation of the programmes and evaluate their effectiveness in the overall development of the nation. Therefore, the study will envisage an assessment of the qualitative and quantitative aspects. Thus, a mixed methodology seems to be best suited for an investigation of this nature. The study will consider both primary data as well as secondary data through literature review for gathering information, collecting data and interpreting it for arriving at appropriate conclusions and endorsing suitable recommendations. For obtaining primary data, the researcher will consider interviewing people from governmental agencies as well as other organizations, who are in some way associated with the implementation of e-governance in the country. Information will also be gathered through sending questionnaires to a sample population that has some kind of involvement with the process of implementing e-governance. Data Analysis: The data so gathered will be analysed using appropriate statistical tools and to make the appropriate deductions and to endorse the relevant findings and recommendations. Ethical Considerations: All the ethical considerations necessary to be followed in the process of the research will be strictly adhered to and the sample population will be assured of the confidentiality of their persons as well as the information they impart. They will be given a written guarantee that any information that they share will be used solely for the purpose of the research and will not be divulged to any third parties. Reference List Al-Nuaim, H. A. An Evaluation Framework for Saudi E-Government. 2011. IBIMA. Available at [Accessed on 4 March 2013]. Dwivedi, S. K. & Bharti, A, K. 2005. E-Governments in India- Problems and Acceptability. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology. Available at [Accessed on 19 February 2013]. e Governments: Conceptual framework. n.d. Available at [Accessed on 19 February 2013]. Second National e-Government Action Plan. 2012. Available at [Accessed on 19 February 2013]. The Saudi Employment Strategy. 2011. OECD. 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