Impediments to interagency statistical information sharing amongst government agencies in Uganda: A G2G adoption

Abstract

Statistical Information Sharing (SIS) amongst Government agencies is a form of Government to Government (G2G) mode of e-Government and despite its importance it continues to be a challenge. This paper examines the barriers of SIS amongst Government agencies in Uganda using a literature review on G2G, Information sharing models, Public Administration theories to propose a conceptual framework for study. The study adopted a case study design using a triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study covered 13 Government agencies that are involved in two data sharing collaborations coordinated by the National Statistical Office since 2008. The study population of 70 included IT, Statisticians, data sharing staff that participated in an online survey and 9 key interviews were also done. Correlation and Regression analysis were done using SSPS. The study revealed that 4 major impediments to SIS namely IT compatibility, costs, data standards and top management support with the respective correlation coefficients (R) IT Compatibility = 1.596, Cost =0.529, Data Standards = 0.446, Top Management = 0.443 and Coordination = 0.310 respectively. The research recommended Government to provide standard IT equipment, create a collaborative platform to ease SIS, document and standardize all meta data across the agencies central government should increase funding for SIS related activities and increase of top government support amongst others.