Addressing The Digital Divide: E-Governance and M-Governance in A Hub and Spoke Model

Abstract

E-governance has been perceived as a key to better governance. Though e-governance is capable enough of reaching to its objective, the problem of last mile connection is still persistent in developing countries due to unavailability of required infrastructure to provide e-governance with required depth. It has been witnessed that developing countries have deeper telephonic/mobile penetration than the internet penetration. Hence the use of telephone/mobile as a tool to supplement e-governance in its last leg becomes imperative. The higher level penetration of mobile connection makes the problem of last mile connectivity somehow redundant. Mobile-governance (m-governance) may be used as supplement to e-governance in a spoke and hub model. It will be helpful in bridging the digital divide particularly in rural areas and also in developing parts of world mainly Asia and Africa. This paper discusses e-governance and m-governance in a spoke and hub model. A generic process will be helpful for faster replication of services and greater penetration.