Abstract:
In this paper we look at the application of ICTs to the
improvement of state-citizen relations in a developing country context.
Our argument is that, to maximise responsiveness of the government,
ICTs need to target the structural problems in state-citizen relations,
from which unresponsiveness of the state to citizens is generated. Failure,
as portrayed here, arises from the fact that ICTs, rather than being used
for tackling the causes of issues in government responsiveness, tend to
be conceived and utilised primarily as a means for acquiring political
consensus. This argument is illustrated through a case study of
computerisation of the ration card procedure in the southern Indian
state of Kerala, where a typical problem of state unresponsiveness –
mirrored by a burgeoning amount of unattended ration card applications
– is matched by a typical e-government solution, i.e. digitalisation of
the process of document release. Our case study reveals that, while the
structural problems of the process of ration card delivery in Kerala lie
within two crucial nodes, namely poverty status determination and
verification of applications, the digital solution devised by the
government addresses predominantly the front-end, politically appealing
node constituted by citizen application for a ration card. This strategy,
which leaves untouched the crucial nodes of state unresponsiveness,
turns out in citizen dissatisfaction on the long run. Implications are
both theoretical, as a cause for failure is identified and deconstructed in
the domain of ICT4D, and practical, as an orientation to structural
problems is recommended for policymakers that engage in ICT-based
government reform.
