E-government and public service quality in Ghana

Abstract

This article contributes to the growing discourse on the potential of e-government to transform the operations of public sector institutions, thereby improving public services. It does so by conceptualizing public service quality into efficiency, economy (cost reduction), customer satisfaction, and service accessibility and draws on qualitative data from the Ghanaian narrative for illustration. As previous studies have demonstrated, this study also affirms the potential of e-government in improving public services delivery by increasing efficiency, reducing the cost of operations, expanding access to services, and achieving customer satisfaction. Yet, there remains a repertoire of challenges such as weak ICT infrastructure especially in towns and villages, incessant power outages and illiteracy, which are drawbacks to fully harnessing the benefits of e-government in Ghana. The study recommends that these challenges should feature prominently in e-government policies to increase the chances of solving them. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.