E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development

Public Organiz Rev (2010) 10:31–47
DOI 10.1007/s11115-009-0087-6

E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development
Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan

Published online: 9 July 2009
# Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009

Abstract This paper critically examines the progress made in introducing and implementing e-government programs and policies in Kazakhstan. It argues that in order to achieve the articulated development goals, the Kazakh government has moved toward e-government paradigm to ascertain a people-centered, accountable and transparent government. Available data substantiates that the initiative faces several challenges such as political support and relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens, digital divide, widespread corruption, lack of human resources, and inadequate infrastructural development, which needs to be amputated to improve public service delivery. This study illustrates some international development experiences to understand the benefit of e-government.
Such experiences may serve as policy guidelines to the successful implementation of e-government to ensure overall development in Kazakhstan.
Keywords Development . E-government . Kazakhstan . Service delivery

Introduction
Electronic governance has been widely endorsed as a solution to a range of predicaments in the public sector. With promises of decreasing corruption, cutting red tape, reducing government costs, and fluctuating participatory governance, the egovernance revolution has swept most nations, capturing the imaginations of policy makers and attracting the interests of citizens and business alike (Salem 2006).
Electronic government evolves swiftly through defined stages, beginning with a web presence of public agencies (“interaction”) to a means for citizens around the clock seven days a week in the convenience of their homes (“transaction”) (Netchaeva
2002). This essentially creates a new ground for public

References: ADB (Asian Development Bank). (2008) Asian development outlook 2008 [Kazakhstan]. Available at: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2008/KAZ.pdf, last accessed December 5, 2008. Agarwal, P. (2008). Economic growth and poverty reduction: evidence from Kazakhstan. Asian Development Review, 24(2), 90–115. Aminuzzaman, S., Baldersheim, H., & Jamil, I. (2003). Talking back! empowerment and mobile phones in rural Bangladesh: a study of the village phone scheme of Grameen Bank Bakenova, S. (2008). Civil service in Kazakhstan: Déjà Vu? International Journal of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe, 1, 89–96. Bayes, A. Braun, J. V., & Akhter, R. (1999). Village pay phones and poverty reduction: insights from a Grameen bank initiatives in Bangladesh Bhuiyan, S. H. (2006). E-government in Bangladesh: prospects and challenges. Journal of Politics & Administration, 1(1), 105–118. Brown, D. (2005). Electronic government and public administration. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(2), 241–254. Cochran, J. (2008). Kazakhstan’s potential for wind and concentrated solar power. KIMEP Working Paper Cummings, S. (2005). Kazakhstan: Power and elite. London: I.B. Tauris. egov magazine. (2007). Interview with Kuanishbek Esekeev, Chairman, Agency for Informatization and Communications last accessed March 27, 2008. ESCAP. (2008). Economic and social survey of Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved from: www.kazakhemb. org.il, last accessed November 18, 2008. Gleason, G. (1997). Prospects for Kazakhstan’s asian liberalism. Democratization, 5(3), 376–385. Haldenwang, C. (2004). Electronic Government (E-Government) and development. The European Journal of Development Research, 16(2), 417–432. Haque, M. S. (2002). E-Governance in India: its impact on relations among citizens, politicians and public servants Hasse, D. (2002). E-Government: The future of federal and municipal institution. An unpublished Master’s thesis Heeks, R. 2001. Understanding e-governance for development. i-Government Working Paper Series. Heeks, R. (1998). Information technology and public sector corruption. Information System and Public Sector Management Working Paper Series Ho, A. T.-K. (2002). Reinventing local governments and the E-government initiative. Public Administration Review, 62(4), 434–443. Holliday, I. (2002). Building e-government in East and Southeast Asia: regional rhetoric and national (In) action Holliday, I., & Yep, R. (2005). E-Government in China. Public Administration and Development, 25, 239– 249. Hossain, F. (2005). E-governance initiatives in developing countries: helping the rich? or, creating opportunities for the poor? Asian Affairs, 27(4), 5–23. Iqbal, H. (2007). Democracy and Central Asian states. Regional Studies, 4, 66–95. ITU (International Telecommunication Union). (2004). ITU Data. Available at: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ ict/statistics/at_glance/main04.pdf, last accessed November 5, 2008. Jho, W. (2005). Challenges for e-governance: protests from civil society on the protection of privacy in egovernment in Korea. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(1), 151–166. Kabir, A. (2008). Discourse on e-governance: Bottomline. The Daily Star. November 14. Retrieved from: http://www.thedailystar.net/pf_story.php?nid=63243, last accessed November 14, 2008. Keesing Record of World Events. (2005). Kazakhstan presidential elections. December. Knox, C. (2008). Kazakhstan: modernizing government in the context of political inertia. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 74(3), 477–496. Makhmutova, M. (2001). Local government in Kazakhstan. In Igor Munteanu & Popa Victor (Eds.). October 7, 2008. Mayer-Schönberger, V., & Lazer, D. (2007). From Electronic Government to Information Society. In V. Moon, M. J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: rhetoric or reality? Public Administration Review, 62(4), 424–433. Netchaeva, I. (2002). E-government and E-democracy. The International Communication Gazette, 64(5), 467–477. Norris, P. (2001). Digital divide? civic engagement, information poverty and the internet in the democratic societies Perlman, B. J., & Gleason, G. (2007). Cultural determinism versus administrative logic: Asian values and administrative reform in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 30(12), 1327–1342. Robinson, A. (2001). Geopolitics and oil focus the spotlight on Central Asia. Financial Times Survey. Salem, F. (2006). Exploring e-government barriers in the Arab States. Policy Brief. No. 2. Dubai: Dubai School of Government. Sharma, T. (2002). E-governance: process reengineering approach. Indian Journal of Public Administration, XLVIII(4), 606–616. Tandon, H. (2005). e-governance: an Indian perspective. Policy & Society, 24(3), 1–28. Transparency International. (2008). Corruption perception index 1999–2008 (Kazakhstan). Available at: http://www.transparencykazakhstan.org/eng/content/8.html, last accessed January 7, 2009. Transparency International. (2006). Global country report, 2006 [Kazakhstan], pp.184–188. Available at: www.transparency.org/publications, last accessed November 18, 2008. UN (United Nations). (2008). United Nations e-government survey 2008: From e-government to connected governance United Nations/American Society for Public Administration [UN/ASPA]. (2002). Benchmarking egovernment: A global perspective: Assessing the progress of the UN member states. NY: UN/ASPA. UNDP (United Nations Development Program). (2007). Human development report 2007/2008 [Kazakhstan] last accessed November 13, 2008. UNDP. (2001). Human development report 2001: Making new technologies work for human development.