Uncovering the Hidden Issues in E-Government Adoption in a Least Developed Country: The Case of Bangladesh

Bangladesh, in common with many least developed countries, has been struggling to find a workable strategy to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) and e-government in its public sector organizations. There has been no satisfactory progress in this area despite a number of high-level initiatives. As a result, the country is failing to keep pace in e-government advances compared with other developing countries. This paper reports a study that involved focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders in Bangladesh. A process model is developed to show the interrelationships amongst the major barriers in the adoption of ICT in Bangladesh public sector. A lack of knowledge and entrenched attitudes and mindsets are seen as the key underlying contributors to the lack of progress. The paper introduces important directions for the formulation of long-term strategies for the successful adoption of ICT in the Bangladesh public sector and provides a basis for further theoretical development.