China's e-government and its effects on transparency

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This study deals with the concept of e-government and takes into account its transparency and implementation in China. It performs an in-depth research on the comparison of US and Chinese e-governments, the changes that have occurred due to the implementation of the e-governments, and the benefits of the future advancements in technology. The concept of e government is one of the innovative ideas for managing and controlling a country's government. It has a variety of definitions, is multi-faceted, and is currently in a fluid state. Given the diversity of concepts of e-government around the world, creating a workable definition of e-government is becoming very difficult. This study perform a comprehensive research and presents an elaborated literature review in order to illustrate and explain the concept of e-government and the advantages and challenges of its implementation in China. Through qualitative research and deep study of different publications by numerous authors, the dissertation reaches a logical conclusion and provides recommendations to deal with the problems and challenges of e-government in China.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Problem Statement2

Research Aim2

Research Question2

Objective of the Research3

Layout of the Report4

Chapter 24

Chapter 34

Chapter 44

Chapter 54

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

E-government6

Applications of E-Government7

E-Government's Contributions10

Contribution to Society10

Contribution to the Environment10

Contribution to the Government11

Comparison of E-government in US and China12

China12

United States13

Government withholds information from Public16

Copyright protection17

Content authentication18

Non-security-related applications18

Outcomes of E-government Implementation19

Cost Reduction and Efficiency19

Improved Services20

Transparency20

Citizen Participation21

Increase Capacity and Improve Network Infrastructure21

E-government and Transparency22

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY25

Research Philosophy25

Research Approach25

Research Strategy26

Research Method26

Data Collection Sources27

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION28

E-Government28

E-Government and its Implications in China30

Summary of the Study32

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS33

Conclusion33

Recommendations35

Limitations of the Study37

REFERENCES39

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This study deals with the concept of e-government and takes into account its transparency and implementation in China. It performs an in-depth research on the comparison of US and Chinese e-governments, the changes that have occurred due to the implementation of the e-governments, and the benefits of the future advancements in technology. The extensive literature researched in this dissertation discusses the concept of e-government along with its management and benefits.

Background

According to Maddison (2004), the Chinese economy, since the year 1990, gained the status of being the fastest growing economy of the world. For China, this was an achievement which The Economist (2004) referred to as “great leap forward” of the nation. Form the year 1994, the real GDP per capita of the economy developed at an astonishing average rate of 12.4 percent per year over this period. On the other hand, the real fixed investment per capita grew at 14.8 percent per year.

China briskly moved up to the largest ...