Considerations for co-designing e-government services in under-served rural communities

2005 ◽

pp. 659-664 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karin Geiselhart ◽

Peter Jamieson

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

World Country ◽

Small Community ◽

Bottom Line ◽

Government Services ◽

Rural Sustainability ◽

Third World Country ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Basic Services ◽

And Training

The overall economic, social and environmental health of rural communities is one of the critical issues facing Australia. Without access to basic services, a small community can be left with a standard of living more like that of a third world country. Increasingly, services have an electronic component. Convergent digital services can lead to transformative effects, but can also exacerbate existing divides if technologies and the capacity to use them effectively are not available. Teleservice centres have in the past provided many forms of electronic services and training: computing, fax, printers, banking, etc. Today Internet functionality is a central aspect of rural teleservice centres, with broadband a looming issue. This article presents teleservice centres as a strategic national resource. Their potential to contribute to rural sustainability and equitable access to government services means that at every level of community and government, teleservice centres can delivery triple bottom line benefits.

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Use levels of electronic government services among German citizens

Transforming Government People Process and Policy ◽

10.1108/tg-05-2016-0025 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 637-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Torsten J. Gerpott ◽

Nima Ahmadi

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Random Sample ◽

Computer Literacy ◽

Service Use ◽

Electronic Government ◽

Government Service ◽

Menu Item ◽

Content Type ◽

Government Services ◽

Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis

Purpose To better understand the use intensity of e-government service offerings among citizens, a considerable number of studies have examined correlations between various attitudinal constructs related to such offerings and citizens’ service adoption (intentions). This investigational paper aims to take a different angle by exploring associations between a set of 11 objectively identifiable household and individual behavioral and socio-demographic characteristics on the one side and three levels of e-government services use on the other. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis is based on survey responses of a random sample of 17,012 individuals residing in Germany. Findings Ordinal logistic regression analysis suggests that citizens with low use levels of public e-service offerings are most likely younger male persons with low levels of computer literacy, internet affinity and education, who have a migration background and live in small mid-level-income households located in rural communities. Practical implications The findings imply that public institutions may find it difficult to rapidly raise e-government acceptance by distributing only “technocratic” information explaining various service options. Public authorities should consider supplementing “pure” information programs by measures which ensure that the software of e-government service platforms is designed in a way guaranteeing a very high level of “usability”. Furthermore, they should analyze whether the benefits of providing e-government services in specific foreign languages outweigh the costs of such a service extension. If this is the case, an easy-to-use software menu item should be introduced which enables citizens to switch to another common foreign language. Originality/value The contribution of this paper results from the analysis of a set of objective predictors of e-government service use in a large random sample of citizens residing in Germany, whereas most prior studies are based on surveys of small convenience samples in other countries.

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Expanding Access To Rural Healthcare Services And Benefits Through Secure, Interactive Video Links: A Case Study Of Video Claims Taking Implementation In The Great Plains

American Journal of Health Sciences (AJHS) ◽

10.19030/ajhs.v2i2.6624 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 19-28

Author(s):

Dana Michael Harsell ◽

Christine Carlascio Harsell ◽

Robert S. Wood

Keyword(s):

Native American ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Great Plains ◽

Interactive Video ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Rural Healthcare ◽

Government Services

Context: Between 2003 and 2008, the University of North Dakota Center for Rural Service Delivery (RSD) increased access to a number of vital government services for citizens in rural communities and Native American reservations through the Video Claims Taking (VCT) program, which allowed claimants in rural healthcare settings to apply for benefits over secure interactive video networks to distant government offices. VCT helped increase healthcare reimbursement, social and related public service benefits to 31 underserved communities in six states and leveraged a significant increase in applications for government services and monetary benefits to these communities. Methods: A case-study examines the implementation, use and impact of the VCT technology over the RSD’s five year operation. Findings: The authors offer five principal findings which center on the relationships between government agencies and rural claimants, some cultural considerations posed by this electronic form of service delivery, the program’s potential to realize certain efficiencies, the technical challenges faced during implementation and overcoming a number of organizational and communications barriers. Conclusions: The foregoing analysis of the RSDs initiative and its VCT program contributes to a better understanding of how to leverage an interactive video platform to provide government healthcare reimbursement services to underrepresented groups in rural contexts for public agencies and private healthcare providers that are interested in adopting a similar model of service delivery to their stakeholders

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