Electronic (e-) government has become crucial to countries as they seek to become more efficient, productive, and more effectively serve their various clients. Here we take a snapshot of the latest (2018) results of the development of e-government across the Caribbean region.

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. The exercise included the following 16 Caribbean countries:

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. Similar to previous years, the 2018 EGDI exercise was based on the results of three indices, as outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Summary of the measures that comprised the main indices of the 2018 EGDI (Source: UN-DESA)

The scope and quality of online services, the development of telecommunication infrastructure, and of 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. Hence the maximum score that can be achieved is 1.

How did Caribbean countries perform in the 2018 survey?

All Caribbean countries recorded an improvement in their EGDI scores when compared with the 2016 results, as reflected in Table 2. The difference in scores ranged from 0.0129 for Saint Lucia, to 0.1520, for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Table 2: Comparison of 2016 and 2018 EDGIs and ranking for select Caribbean countries (Source: UN DESA)

Consistently, and within the Caribbean grouping, Barbados is the highest-ranked country at 46th, with an EGDI of 0.7229, and moving up eight places from 54th out of 193, in the 2016 exercise. Barbados was followed by Saint Kitts and Nevis, having been ranked 71st, and with an EGDI of 0.6554, and the Bahamas, which was ranked 72nd, with an EGDI of 0.6552.

It should also be noted that although Trinidad and Tobago was the second highest ranked Caribbean country in 2016, in 2018, it is the fourth highest, although its 2018 EGDI score is considerably better than that recorded in 2016. Further, and using Trinidad and Tobago’s 2016 EGDI score, 0.5780, as a threshold, six countries, excluding Barbados, received higher EGDI scores in 2018, again highlighting an improvement in e-government across the Caribbean region.

Having said this and as a point of reference, Table 3 lists the top 10 ranked countries globally in 2018. Based on the scores and ranking, the Caribbean region is still quite far behind, with only Barbados breaking the top 50, and only eight Caribbean countries within the top 100.

Table 3: Top 10 ranked countries globally in 2018 EGDI exercise (Source: UN DESA)

In breaking down the EGDI scores each Caribbean country received, Figure 1 shows the scores for the sub-indices that comprise the EGDI. With the exception of Haiti, all other the countries received their highest scores for the Human Capital sub-index, which covers matters related to education, and thus the capability of citizens to adequately engage e-government systems.

Figure 1: Breakdown of the 2018 EGDI scoring by the three main sub-indices for select Caribbean countries (Source: UN DESA)

The top three Caribbean countries with respect to the:

  • Online Services sub-index, were the Bahamas (0.7014), followed by the Barbados (0.6667), and Dominican Republic (0.6597)
  • Telecommunications Infrastructure sub-index, were Saint Kitts and Nevis (0.6825), followed by Barbados (0.6719), and Trinidad and Tobago (0.5735)
  • Human Capital sub-index, were Barbados (0.8301), followed by Grenada (0.7202), and Cuba (0.7862).

What do these results suggest about e-Government in the region?

Based on the EDGI scores Caribbean countries have received over the past six surveys, starting in 2008, their performance has been uneven over the years, with no single country consistently improving year on year, as reflected in Figure 2. However, as indicated earlier, all Caribbean countries surveyed in 2018 recorded higher EGDI scores when compared with those recorded in 2016.

Figure 2: Comparison of EDGI scores for select Caribbean countries from 2008 to 2018 (Source: UN DESA)

Hence, in summary, e-government appears to be improving in the Caribbean. However, it remains to be seen whether there can be consistent and substantial improvements, so that the region can try to keep a pace with – and not fall too far behind – the progress that has been occurring globally.

Image credit:  geralt (Pixabay)