Digital Transformation in Public Administration Through Critical Success Factors for Effective E-Government Implementation in Developing Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71086/IAJSE/V13I3/IAJSE13121Keywords:
Digital Transformation, E-Government, Public Administration, Critical Success Factors, Digital Governance, Developing Countries, PLS-SEM.Abstract
Digital transformation has emerged as a strategy in public administration in order to enhance government service delivery, institutional efficiency, and citizen participation. Nevertheless, e-government projects in developing countries remain prone to difficulties associated with a lack of institutional commitment, weak digital capacity, fragmented technological infrastructure, and limited citizen trust. The purpose of the research is to examine the most critical success factors that play a significant role in implementing e-government projects and develop a comprehensive framework that incorporates technology, institutional, organizational, and human dimensions. The study used an explanatory sequential design, combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with a qualitative study of semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative stage, 174 senior executives and ICT directors from government institutions in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia participated, while the qualitative stage comprised 36 respondents who have practical experience with implementing e-government projects. The proposed framework consists of the Technology Acceptance Model, Institutional Theory, and the Dynamic Capabilities Framework. According to the results obtained, political leadership and institutional commitment exert the highest impact on the success of e-government implementation (β = 0.284, p < 0.001), followed by ICT human capital (β = 0.231, p < 0.001), technological infrastructure (β = 0.198, p < 0.001) and regulatory framework (β = 0.176, p < 0.001). The proposed structural model was found to be a good tool for explaining and predicting the research phenomenon with R² = 0.673 and Q² = 0.589. In addition, interoperability and citizen trust were established as important mediating mechanisms of the process under consideration. The results offer an evidence-based basis for policy makers and public agencies on how to improve their e-government efforts through leadership, capacity building, better regulation, and citizen-focused governance approaches.
