Acceso usuarios
Prashant P. Palvia, M. Naveed Baqir, Hamid Nemati
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are often represented as a factor in global economic growth and social development. Consequently, countries and governments invest large amounts of resources in the ICT sector. However, it is not certain whether the results of these investments necessarily match expectations. In order to investigate this conundrum, this study evaluates government policies for Information Communication Technologies (ICT) growth in a developing country by extending and utilizing the design-actuality gaps framework. A qualitative analysis of government’s ICT policy documents (i.e., design) and interviews with 35 citizens and 54 government officials (i.e., actuality) shows significant design-actuality gaps. Additional insights are derived from two focus groups involving 11 citizens. The analysis shows that not only there are gaps between policy design and actuality but also the dimensions of design and actuality are different. The causes of these gaps are discussed along with implications for practitioners and a theoretical extension of the design-actuality gaps framework. This research contributes to the literature on design-actuality gaps, ICT in developing countries, and government policy evaluation.
