Key Challenges for Sustainable E-Services in Unstable Societies

Refugees and displaced people who have been affected by disaster or political instability (uprooted from their homes in search of safety) are an interesting group of citizens when we consider e-government services since they face extra challenges of access to such government services. The chapter explores challenges faced by e-service delivery to refugee and displaced people which are often characteristic of unstable societies. This chapter reports on a study of Syrian refugees and displaced people using a survey exploring the use of e-services for citizens inside and outside of Syria. The authors apply institutional theory as a theoretical lens using the dimensions of economic, political, technical, and social to understand the context and issues of providing e-government services within this very challenging domain. The results indicate six themes influencing sustainable and effective support for e-services for such groups of people, namely importance of e-services, connectivity, awareness, e-service availability, financial constraints, and digital literacy.

Venturing the Unexplored

This chapter adopts a micro approach towards assessing the e-readiness of small and medium enterprises in the textile industry in Egypt. The analysis focuses on evaluating firms’ level of connectivity, awareness and usage of ICTs and identifies barriers to e-readiness. The chapter adds to the literature on e-readiness assessment, which is mostly macro in nature. The micro approach focuses on ICT awareness and usage patterns, and has the advantage of capturing variations at the firm level. Based on connectivity alone, neither small nor medium firms under study were found close to being e-ready. However, extending e-readiness to include the use and awareness of ICTs, one may conclude that e-readiness is in general directly proportional to size. Medium-sized firms, therefore, are potentially e-ready. The chapter argues that raising SME e-readiness would require heavy investment in human capital and raising awareness in addition to upgrading levels and types of connectivity.