Last modified: 2016-09-19
Abstract
A common notion is that the governance and performance of spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and Electronic Government (eGov) are closely interlinked. However, in practice this notion does not hold. We test why this is so, using the empirical context of a developing country, Pakistan. The main question is thus to which extent are eGov and SDI implementation strategies are re-enforcing or obstructing each other.
The present research makes use of congruency theory. The basic tenets of congruency theory are that governments perform well (1) to the extent the authority patterns are congruent (2) with the authority patterns of other units society, and if those patterns exhibit balanced disparities (3). Each of these aspects can be further detailed with a number of descriptive and normative aspects. In this article the theory is applied to evaluate past and current activities in eGov and SDI in Pakistan and to assess the degree of congruence between the two. Proxies of authority patterns include adjacency, contingency, and proximity. The assumption is that if all authority proxies of both eGov and SDI are high than the authority patterns are considered congruent with each other. Performance is evaluated based on durability, civil order, legitimacy and decisional efficacy. If all these proxies are high, than performance is high. If both authority patterns in eGov and SDI are high and performance of both SDI and eGov is high than both are congruent. If any of the proxies are not congruent than this is probably the reason for low performance. Finally, balanced disparities are evaluated using mimetic, coercive and normative isomorphism. If the organization of eGov and SDI implementation is largely isomorphic in all these aspects than the disparities are considered balanced.
The proxies were evaluated for Pakistan for the period 2010-2016 based on personal communication and experience on the one hand and documentary evidence on the other hand. The degree of congruency was inferred and interpreted qualitatively. Initial results suggest that there appears some degree of congruency, but based on the comparison of the proxies for durability and legitimacy there are also considerable differences. Finally the degree of isomorphism is only partial. In particular mimetic isomorphism is low, indicating limited crossovers between the two communities. This implies only partial congruence.
The conclusion is that whilst many of the objectives of eGov and SDI in Pakistan are similar, in the process of implementation they are currently insufficiently reinforcing each other. One of the main reasons is that unlike the eGov projects the SDI objectives and policies are insufficiently embedded in public awareness campaigns and implementation by multiple public organizations. This affects public legitimacy.
Keywords
References
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