International Journal of Electronic Governance (7 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• APPLICATIONS FOR CITIZEN E-PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNICATION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC - CURRENT SUPPLY AND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MOBILE APPS.  
  by Michael Fanta, Radek Sob?hart 
  Abstract: The level of e-participation in the Czech Republic is below EU average in a long term. In order to expand the research on this topic, we created an overview of the municipal mobile apps that are being used in the Czech Republic, analysed their functions, and performed a pilot evaluation. Overall, 84 mobile apps from Google Play Store and Apple Appstore were sorted into 15 types and divided into the two main groups according to their design: 1) universally designed products that municipalities can use for an appropriate monthly flat fee which depends/varies based on its selected functions; 2) custom designed products according to the requirements of the municipalities’ management. We conducted a content analysis of the applications and identified their offered functions. Via a pilot evaluation we discovered that the universally designed apps scored significantly higher in four out of the five evaluated criteria than the custom designed apps.
  Keywords: e-participation; communication; citizen; municipality; mobile application; content analysis; evaluation; Czech Republic.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2022.10043470
   
  
• Governance mechanisms in vulnerable communities using a technology platform: A study case in 13 de Noviembre, Colombia  
  by Sara Yepes, Jeferson J.F. Martinez, Fabio Suarez, Jose J.A. Barragan, Margarita M.M. Corrales 
  Abstract: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed the interactions between people. However, in developing countries, the lack of means, infrastructure, and technologies have increased basic needs, reduced citizen participation, and delayed social, economic, and political transformation processes. This is especially noticeable in the governance limitations caused by the digital gap in the case examined here, i.e., the 13 de Noviembre neighbourhood in the 8th district in Medellin, Colombia. The objective of this study was to design and implement a technology platform that provided services through a web portal to this vulnerable population as a governance improvement strategy. A wireless network infrastructure in the ISM band was designed and implemented, and services were enabled through a captive portal with authentication. The appropriation of ICTs enables the implementation of strategies to improve governance because citizens can conduct multiple activities online.
  Keywords: governance; technology platform; captive portal; wireless network; ICT.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10050660
   
  
• Assessing the national complaint handling system in Indonesia (LAPOR!) using the design-reality gap model  
  by Dian Ayu Puspitasari, Teguh Kurniawan 
  Abstract: This study aims to assess the possibility of failure or success of the national complaint handling system in Indonesia, LAPOR!, using the designreality gap model. It is crucial because the implementation of LAPOR! has encountered some obstacles, allowing for failure and impacting the systems sustainability. Data were collected through interviews with LAPOR! stakeholders. Gap assessment of the system was conducted by experts. The study showed that the design and reality gaps of LAPOR! are still large. The gaps found in LAPOR! must be reduced so that the risk of system failure can be mitigated early on. Administrators of LAPOR! must pay attention to social and technical elements in the operation and development of this system in the future.
  Keywords: complaint handling; design–Reality gap; E-government; E-government failure; E-government success; E-government sustainability; ITPOSMO; LAPOR!; public service.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10052235
   
  
• MissingFoundBlock : Blockchain System to file Missing and Found FIRs  
  by Riya Sapra, Parneeta Sidhu 
  Abstract: Blockchain technology is being used in a variety of application areas due to its immutability, robustness, and transparency. Private as well as public sectors are adopting the technology for making the processes digital and automatic. In this paper, MissingFoundBlock - a blockchain system for FIRs (First Information Report) related to missing and found persons has been proposed. The system will perform an e-filing of the missing and found person’s complaints by all the police stations of the country, which will further automatically verify the filed complaint with the existing complaints in the database. MissingFoundBlock will help in digital FIR record management and solving some of the very difficult cases as well by mapping the complaints. The system also mails the copy of the FIR automatically to the complainant and the police station once the FIR is filed and mapped.
  Keywords: Blockchain; FIR; MissingFoundBlock; Missing FIR; Found FIR; Smart Contract,.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10053659
   
  
• eTHOS: a web-based tax morale system  
  by KONSTANTINOS FOTIADIS, Chairi Kiourt, Prodromos Chatzoglou 
  Abstract: Tax morale, citizens’ intrinsic motivation to pay taxes and a vital component of tax compliance, is still unexploited and uncultivated in almost all countries of the world, causing huge tax evasion issues that may, in turn, lead to important financial crises In this paper, an innovative web-based cross-platform information system, named eTHOS, is introduced allowing citizens to either report various complaints, in real-time, about tax evasion incidents, or to highlight good tax behavior practices This is achieved through the creation of interactive maps that highlight geospatial financial factors for the general public The main purpose of the system is to capture specific information which will be used in order to understand the various tax morale approaches that lead citizens to file a report (complaint or suggestions for reward) based on their interaction with businesses Furthermore, the new proposed system aims to gain an operational role as the first citizen oriented
  Keywords: eTHOS; tax morale; tax evasion; web-based systems; ICT.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10054532
   
  
• Blockchain and smart contract enabled smart and secure electronic voting system  
  by Kailash Chandra Bandhu, Ratnesh Litoriya, Murtaza Bagwala, Alakmar Barwaniwala, Manas Garg 
  Abstract: Building an electronic voting system is a prime requirement of a government election system to avoid the manipulation in the voting machines and make them more secure and efficient. There is a need of cost-efficient, time-saving, and trusted voting system. Blockchain technology is a revolutionary method that provides decentralized, distributed, and immutable ledgers features. The proposed work utilized this recent technology along with smart contract and keccak256 encryption algorithm to implement vote casting. The performance of the system is measured based on the execution time of the smart contract, average voting time per user, and the hidden and visible gas cost for smart contract deployment for voting. The results obtained come to be promising with an average execution time of 6ms per vote and the percentage of visible cost out of voting and contract deployment is 15.42% and hidden costs out of voting and contract deployment is 84.58%.
  Keywords: Electronic voting; Blockchain; Smart Contracts; Ethereum; Distributed computing.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10054587
   
  
• Improvement of e-Government in Ukraine based on the experience of developed countries  
  by Igor Oliychenko, Maryna Ditkovska, Yuliia Shabardina, Oksana Lashuk, Vladimir Zhovtok 
  Abstract: This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the Ukrainian e-government system with e-governments of developed countries and suggesting recommendations for it improving. Based on a study of the scientific literature, reports of international organizations, governmental websites, we examined E-Government Development Indices (EGDI) and the E-Participation Indices (EPI) in 14 countries. We have selected 3 European countries, such as the UK, France, and Estonia to compare with Ukraine. The study provided an opportunity to identify optimal ways to improve the development of e-government in Ukraine and use such forms of cooperation between government and business as outsourcing and crowdsourcing.
  Keywords: e-Government; electronic services; e-democracy; electronic portals; outsourcing; crowdsourcing.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2023.10054863