Fighting Bureaucratic Corruption in The Civil Service Through The E-Government

Abstract

Abstract This study delves into the contribution of e-government in the fight against bureaucratic corruption in the civil service. The primary research problem this paper seeks to address is the continued corruption that has bedevilled the civil service, particularly in service delivery. This dissertation examines Kazakhstan as a country that embraced e-government in 2004 as a tool of fighting corruption in sectors where corruption is especially pronounced, such as the procurement sector, control authorities and the licenses and permits sector. It seeks to address how bureaucratic corruption in the civil service can be contained using the e-government approach, how the approach acts as a mediator, how it inhibits the discretion of civil servants and the manner in which it enhances transparency within the civil service. Countries that have adopted e-government in their operations have witnessed reduced numbers of corruption cases thanks to the transparency that the method fosters. E-government has acted as a mediator between the government departments and the citizens in harmonizing administrative disputes encountered in service delivery. E-government has also inhibited the discretion of public officials serving their own interests by instituting one department responsible for making decisions that serve the public interest. Given the tremendous progress that Kazakhstan has made in the fight against corruption since 2004 using e-government, e-government has been proven effective and, hence, countries that are yet to incorporate e-government in their operations ought to do so.