A Study of barriers for information sharing in Sri Lankan e-government initiative

Abstract

This study investigates the barriers that influence participation in electronic information sharing among Sri Lankan Government organizations. Information sharing has the potential to improve efficiency in government operations and improved services to the citizens. Although electronic information sharing creates significant benefits government organizations face several barriers to electronic information sharing. The success of electronic information sharing initiatives requires a detailed examination of these barriers. After reviewing the literature on interagency information sharing models and theories related, within this study it was suggested that government organization’s participation in electronic information sharing will be influenced by organizational factors, technological factors and external factors. For this study, data was collected from Sri Lankan Government organizations which have implemented e-Govemment projects. Survey data was analyzed to test the proposed research framework and hypotheses. The findings suggest that organizational, technological and external factors act as barriers for inter- government electronic information sharing. This research has important implications for the e-Govemment participated organizations. Based on the factors identified in this study, programs can be designed to increase inter-government information sharing. Moreover, these findings can be used to develop strategies to enhance electronic information sharing initiatives in Sri Lanka.