IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (A
CASE STUDY OF KWARA STATE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE)
BY
MAHMUD AISHA AMOPE
19/66RM049
SUPERVISOR
DR. M. L. BELLO
TABLE OF CONTENT/PLAN OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
•
Background to the Study
•
Statement of Research Problem
•
Objectives of the Study
•
Research Questions
•
Research Hypothesis
•
Significance of the Study
•
Scope of the Study
•
Operational Definition of Terms
•
Organization of the Study
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
2.2
Conceptual Review
2.2.1 Concept of Technology
2.2.2 Concept of Digitilization
2.2.3 Concept of Public Sector
2.2.4 Concept of Service Delivery
2.2.5 Overview of Use of Technology in Nigerian Public Sector
2.2.3 Effects of Technology in the Nigerian Public Sector
2.2.4 Challenges of Adopting Technology in the Nigerian Public Sector
2.2.5 Prospects of ICT as a means of Public Service Delivery in the Nigerian Public Service
2.3
Theoretical Review
2.3.1 Diffusion of Innovation Theory
2.3.2 Institutional Theory
2.4
Empirical Review
2.5
Gap in Literature
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETAION AND ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (A
CASE STUDY OF KWARA STATE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE)
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The public service of any country is a major pillar in determining the development and
stability of such country. For most countries, particularly, developing countries where the private
sector is very weak, the public service has been recognized as pivotal to the economic cum
socio-political development of such countries (World Bank, 2017). The public service is an
institution at the heart of the formulation and implementation of the policy of governments
(Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, 2016).
The public service is the engine for the processing of the vastly acquired and expanded
responsibilities of a country’s governments (Olugbemi (2017). Thus, the public service is a
reflection of the state of that nation. The public service is therefore, viewed as a transformational
institution because of its responsibility of executing government policies and programmes,
transforming them to concrete essential services and ensuring that they are delivered to the
public (Kwaghga, 2010; Gundu, 2011). In this regards, the public service is a fundamental
instrument to the survival of any government and as noted by Adegoroye (2005), no nation has
been able to advance beyond its public service.
In fact, the efficiency of the public service is a principal determinant of the effectiveness
and productivity of any government. The efficiency and effectiveness of the public service in
public service delivery is pivotal to the attainment of the Millennium Development goals by any
country (Kemoni & Ngulube, 2008).
The pivotal role of the public service to Nigeria’s development informs the various
reforms aimed at reinvigorating it in order for it to be able to efficiently and effectively deliver
its responsibility. Like most African governments, the country has attempted improving the
performance of its public service through various reforms with the ultimate goal of boosting the
capacity of the Nigeria Public Service for quality public service delivery and effective
performance of core governmental functions regarded as pivotal to sustainable socioeconomic
development of Nigeria (ECA, 2010). In spite of all these efforts aimed at repositioning it for
effective and efficient service delivery, the Nigeria Public Service remains inefficient and
incapable of delivering its responsibility.
The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the last
twenty years, has transformed the system of administration and has been viewed in the global
context, as a means for achieving good governance and for enhancing quality service delivery to
the public (Zouridis & Thaens, 2023). It is in recognition of the importance of ICT in the modern
administration nomenclature – e-administration, that the European Union advocates the
elimination of constrains to e-administration at all levels of governance, including local level
authorities, as well as between public administrations, businesses, and citizens, through which
the principle of good governance and public service delivery should be achieved (Hodos, 2014).
According to Aker (2017), when it comes to public service delivery, digital technology
has the potential to enhance citizens’ access to public information, facilitate data collection to
ensure proper allocation of public goods and increase access for financial services through
mobile money
While governments of the developed countries are already utilizing the growth in the ICT
to enhance the delivery of public goods and services to their citizens, the spread of the benefits
of ICT to resource poor and less developed countries like Nigeria is almost nonexistent (Sharma
& Sturges, 2017). The critical questions of to what extent can ICT be adopted for enhanced
public service delivery in Nigeria and what are challenges of the strategy for enhancing service
delivery by the Nigeria Public Service constitute the concerns of this research. Hence this
STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
Service delivery is the main mandate of the public sector and efficiency is critical to
service delivery. However, the public sector has experienced several challenges in service
delivery provision that impact the quality, timeliness and costs of these services.
While high productivity in the public service is the major aim and a determining factor
for the success and existence of any nation, the bid to attain higher productivity in the Nigeria’s
Public Service has remained a wishful thinking as bureaucratic inefficiency continues to
constitute its serious concern. It distorts the smooth operations of the entire civil service and has
unproductively and adversely affected the efficient delivery of public goods and services to the
citizens (Darma & Ali, 2014).
The question of what new strategy capable of enhancing efficiency, productivity and
service delivery in the Nigerian Public Service should be adopted for the desired economic cum
political development of the country therefore imperative. The combination of technical,
financial and structural challenges of publicservice have led to poor service delivery among other
negative outcomes (Panayotou citedin Egugbo, 2020). This therefore warranted the need for the
use of digital technologies and tools in service delivery of Public sector in Nigeria. To this end,
this research on the impact of technologies on service delivery in public sector is a neccessicity.
This work therefore focuses on how technology has been useful in aiding service delivery in
Kwara State Internal Revenue Service.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The aim of the research is to investigate the impacts of technology on service delivery in
the public sector with special study on Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), specific
objectives of the study are:
i. to examine the influence of records management strategic technology on service delivery at the
KWIRS
ii. to investigate the effect of digitalization on service delivery at KWIRS
iii. to determine the the influence of proficiency of strategic technology on service delivery at the
KWIRS
iv. to evluate the problems associated with the use technology in Kwara State Internal Revenue
Service
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Accordinglly, the following research questions are asked:
i. does records management strategic technology influence service delivery at the KWIRS
ii. is there any significant relationship between digitalization and service delivery at KWIRS
iii. does proficiency of strategic technology influence service delivery at the KWIRS
iv. what are the problems associated with the use technology in Kwara State Internal Revenue
Service
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
HO1: records management strategic technology does not influence service delivery at the
KWIRS
HO2: there is no significant relationship between digitalization and service delivery at KWIRS
HO3: proficiency of strategic technology does not influence service delivery at the KWIRS
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The work focuses on impact of the application of technology on service delivery in public
sector. The public sector targetted is Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS). The
targeted population are the staff of the agency across the 16 local government area zonal offices
in the state.
The period of coverage will be between 2019 to 2023. This is to allow the researcher
study the extent to which technology has improve service delivery of the agency during the first
tenure of the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak led administration in Kwara State.
The areas of focus in term of the extent to whcih technology influence service delivery in
the selected public sector are records management strategic technology; digitalization and
proficiency of strategic technology. The study will further reveal the problems associated with
the use of technology at KWIRS within the period of coverage.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH METHODS