Information and Communication Technologies in Administrative Reform for Development: Exploring the Case of Property Tax Systems in Karnataka, India

Abstract

This chapter critically examines the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in governmental reform processes in development through a case study of the Indian State of Karnataka. This study explores the increasing use of ICTs for property taxation and its impact on municipal government reform processes within this developing world context. The case study is focused on a collaboration between the government of the Indian state of Karnataka and the eGovernments Foundation (a non-profit private sector organisation) between 2002 and 2006. This collaboration was designed to reform existing methods of property tax collection by establishing an online system across the municipalities of 56 towns and cities within the state. The case study describes the interactions between new technologies and changing information flows in the complexities of public administration reform. In doing so, this paper examines the interplay of local and external factors shaping the project’s implementation. On the basis of this analysis, this case study suggests that disjunctions in these local and external relationships have inhibited more effective exploitation of ICTs in this development context.