Chapter 14 E-Government in Asia: How Culture Affects Patterns of Adoption

Abstract

Nonaka (1990) makes the distinction between generic knowledge that can be applied in many similar contexts, and local knowledge that can be best applied in a specific local context. Israel (1987) and Fukuyama (2004) point out that “high specificity” tasks (i.e. with clear objectives, and using well-defined technologies) with low transaction volume are more likely to be performed successfully by organizations across a wide range of cultural contexts. In this spirit, Friedman (2005, pp. 313–323) observes that countries can benefit from the “flat world” through a combination of “reform wholesale” and “reform retail”. The former entails market-centered reforms such as privatization, deregulation, reducing trade barriers, and adopting flexible labor laws. A handful of leaders in each country have pushed through such reforms in a wide range of cultural contexts including the developed OECD countries, plus many others such as Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, China, and other East Asian “tiger” economies. The latter entails upgrading infrastructure, regulatory institutions, and education and health standards. Unlike the former, the latter reforms cannot be instituted by a handful of leaders, but require broad changes at many levels of society. Although the end results in countries successful at “reform retail” have many similarities (e.g. healthy, well-educated citizens) the steps toward achieving the results are very different, depending on culture and other contextual factors.

Citation

Wescott, C. (2007), "Chapter 14 E-Government in Asia: How Culture Affects Patterns of Adoption", Schedler, K. and Proeller, I. (Ed.) Cultural Aspects of Public Management Reform (Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 351-367. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0732-1317(07)16014-0