A Comparative Analysis of E-Government in Jamaica and Singapore: An Exploratory Study of Supply-Side Factors

ABSTRACT The paper compares the case of Jamaica, which despite a two-decade-long journey, has experienced unsatisfactory progress in implementing e-Government, with that of Singapore, which has achieved considerable success, despite being small island-states of similar-sized populations with British colonial histories, with both nations gaining their independence around the same time in the mid-1960s. Qualitative data gathered from interviews and documentation from supply-side stakeholders were analyzed to better understand the drivers for, and barriers to, the successful implementation of e-Government initiatives. Based on the existing literature, a novel conceptual framework was used to guide the data collection and analysis process. This enabled the presence of previously identified drivers and barriers for e-Government initiatives to be assessed in the context of both countries. The study was also able to surface new and additional factors influencing e-Government implementation, which have not been previously identified within the e-Government research literature, namely Administration/Leadership, e-Readiness, and Communication. The research findings enabled practical and actionable recommendations to those leading e-Government initiatives in Jamaica to improve implementation by overcoming forces that hinder progress. The findings from this study are limited as the research draws on data from limited sources in just two countries.