A 2016 update of the development of the e-government across the Caribbean.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) published the results of its latest e-government survey, which covers all 193 United Nations member states, including the following 16 Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda; the Bahamas Barbados; Belize; Cuba; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guyana; Haiti; Jamaica; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; and Trinidad and Tobago. In this article, we highlight and discuss the performance of the Caribbean countries surveyed.
Determining the EGDI
The United Nations e-Government Development Index (EGDI) measures the willingness and capacity of governments to use ICTs to deliver public services by assessing national websites and how e-government policies and strategies are applied in general and in specific sectors for delivery of essential services. The EGDI consists of three indices, which has remained consistent from the 2016 survey and are outlined in Table 1.
Table 1: Summary of the measures that comprised the main indices of the 2016 EGDI (Source: UN-DESA)
The scope and quality of online services; the development status of telecommunication infrastructure; and the inherent human capital, represent what experts consider are the most important contributors to optimal e-government. The scores for each of those indices are valued between 0 and 1, and the weighted average of the three are used to arrive at the EGDI for each of the 193 countries examined.
How did Caribbean countries perform in the 2016 assessment?
Overall, the performance of Caribbean countries improved when compared with their performance in 2014, as reflected in Table 1. Only three countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Guyana, had lower scores in 2016 than the previous assessment. Within the Caribbean grouping, Barbados is the highest-ranked country at 54th, with an EGDI of 0.6310, moving up three places from 57th out of 193, in the 2014 review. Barbados was followed by Trinidad and Tobago at 70th, with an EGDI of 0.5780, and Grenada, which was ranked 88th, with an EGDI of 0.5168, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Comparison of 2014 and 2016 EDGIs and ranking for select Caribbean countries (Source UNDESA)
With respect to EGDI scores, and as shown in Table 2, the Caribbean countries examined have considerably less developed e-government structures than the top ranked countries. None of the countries in the region are within the top 50, and less than half of the sample group (only six) are within the top 100 ranked countries.
In breaking down the EGDI scores each Caribbean country received, Figure 2 shows the scores for the sub-indices that comprise the EGDI. For all the countries reported, they received their highest scores for Human Capital, which covers matters related to education, and thus the capability of citizens to adequately engage e-government systems. However, interestingly, there was a equal split for the next highest scores: for eight countries, it was their telecoms infrastructure; whilst for the remaining eight, it was the state of their online services.
Figure 2: Breakdown of the 2016 scoring by the three main indices that comprised the EDGI for select Caribbean countries (Source: UN DESA)
The top three Caribbean countries with respect to
- Online Services sub-index, were Trinidad and Tobago (0.5290), followed by the Dominican Republic (0.5072), and Barbados (0.4420)
- Telecommunications Infrastructure sub-index, were Barbados (0.6397), followed by Antigua and Barbuda (0.5412), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (0.5301)
- Human Capital sub-index, were Barbados (0.8113), followed by Grenada (0.7820), and Cuba (0.7507).
What do these results suggest about e-Government in the region?
Figure 2 shows the EGDIs for Caribbean countries included in the surveys undertaken since 2008. Based on the scores received, it is readily evident that the countries’ performance has been uneven over the years, with no single country consistently improving year on year.
Figure 2: Comparison of EDGIs for select Caribbean countries from 2008 to 2016 (Source: UN DESA)
With the exception of Haiti, the remaining countries possess high human capital, which would be almost on par with those of more developed countries. However, the infrastructure and the sophistication of online services continue to be considerably weaker – in terms of scores – than those received the Human Capital sub-index.
The higher Online Services sub-index scores than Telecommunications Infrastructure sub-index scores is an interesting anomaly. Across the board, the infrastructure scores were adversely affected by the low fixed telephone, fixed (wired)-broadband and wireless broadband subscriptions densities that still obtain. However, in some countries, the lack of access to, or take-up of, telecoms services has not limited the breadth and depth of e-government services available, although they may not be readily accessible by a large cross-section of the population.
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