Fathul Wahid

E-Government Challenges and the Role of Political Leadership in Indonesia: The Case of Sragen

In general, developing countries are lagging behind in e-government adoption compared to developed countries. Within Indonesia, there is a huge disparity in e- government implementation between districts. This study presents e-government challenges and the role of political leadership in the rural district of Sragen, one of the leading districts in implementing e-government in the country. The study focuses on the supply-side of e- government, and categorises the challenges in three main areas; management, infrastructure, and human factors. Initiatives taken to deal with these challenges are presented and strong political leadership is found to play an important role.

Internet for Development? Patterns of use among Internet café customers in Indonesia

Internet cafés are important for peoples access to the Internet in poor countries. These venues offer a potential gateway to valuable information, meaningful communication, and political participation for ordinary citizens. They may also represent a possible threat to traditions and cultural values. In this paper, we analyse the use of the Internet among Internet café customers in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A main objective is to assess the importance of Internet use for human resource development. Three main categories of use are identified, namely communication, instrumental, and recreational. The two first mentioned are by far the most important in our sample. Those who use the Internet mainly for instrumental purposes, i.e. seeking information, reading online news, and research, are generally older and more highly educated with a higher personal and financial capability. This fact points in the direction of increased individual usefulness of Internet access over time.

Using the Technology Adoption Model to Analyze Internet Adoption and Use among Men and Women in Indonesia

This research (a) investigates differences in Internet adoption; (b) identifies factors affecting Internet adoption; and (c) examines differences of Internet usage pattern between men and women in Indonesia. Using data from 714 respondents/students with various backgrounds, the research unveils that in general, Internet adoption among women are lower than that among men. Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research also finds that the Internet adoption among women is affected by perceived ease of use rather than perceived usefulness. On the other hand, the Internet adoption among men is affected by perceived usefulness rather than perceived ease of use. Men are found to have a more flexible Internet access venue when compared to women. The research also gives evidence that Internet usage pattern among men and women differs. Proportion of women who use the Internet for chatting and study‐related activities is significantly larger than that of men. Conversely, proportion of men who use the Internet for reading online news, testing and downloading software, shopping, entertainment, seeking job vacancy, and visiting pornographic sites are larger than women. High cost Internet access and low access speed of the Internet and a lack of English proficiency are identified to be most severe obstacles of the Internet adoption in Indonesia.

Information flows and adaptation in Tanzanian cottage industries

The aim of this research is to identify channels of information flows and their impact on business adaptation and survival. The analysis is set within a theoretical framework of information market failure and information flows. The paper draws on empirical data from a survey comprising approximately 400 small-scale entrepreneurs in dressmaking and woodworking industries at different levels of centrality in four regions in Tanzania. The data reveal that half of the businesses are growing and one-third have increased profitability by significant adaptations last year. Most changes occur in products and design. Customers and the media represent the most important sources of business information, followed by family members and business partners. Independent variables that significantly influence adaptability include customer relations, education, media exposure, social networks, and mobility. Associations are strongly modified by the entrepreneurs’ age and gender and by businesses’ size and location. The paper concludes that cottage industries in Tanzania have a remarkable ability to survive. Garment and woodwork markets are still predominantly local and competition from external businesses is limited. Access to business information and new ideas should be improved, however, to counteract growing competition from the modern sector.

Information Dissemination in a Developing Society: Internet Cafe Users in Indonesia

The article analyses the market for Internet cafés in Indonesia and thereby studies the spread of information through the Internet in a developing society. The city of Yogyakarta was selected as the research site, due to its abundance of Internet cafés and customers. The empirical research is based on a survey comprising 270 users. Customers are typically young and educated. Males represent the majority of users but unmarried females are also regulars. User frequency is statistically associated with individual capability, electronic media exposure and financial capacity. Ten percent of customers’ total monthly expenditures are on Internet cafés. Users represent a multitude of cyber cultures, and more research is needed to assess different preferences and motives for use.

Institutional entrepreneurs: The driving force in institutionalization of public systems in developing countries

Authors version of an article in the journal: Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506161311308179

Examining Adoption of e-Procurement in Public Sector Using the Perceived Characteristics of Innovating: Indonesian Perspective

This study aims to examine factors affecting adoption of e-procurement in public sector with special reference to Indonesian context. The Perceived Characteristics of Innovating defined by Moore and Benbasat [1] used as the framework. Based on a survey to 87 contractors/suppliers in the city of Yogyakarta, the study finds that only trialability that affects use intention of e-procurement among the contractors/suppliers. The survey conducted in the early stage of e-procurement implementation is of the possible explanations. Government policy that forces the contractors/suppliers to use the e-procurement also partakes in this context. Practical implication of the findings are also discussed in the paper.

Affordances and Effects of Promoting eParticipation Through Social Media

A growing body of literature highlights the adoption of social media for eParticipation, focusing on the identification of processes and structures through which ICT supports the relationship between citizens, governments and public bodies. There is a need to better understand the role of technology in such initiatives. This paper addresses this issue by introducing the concept of affordance. We used a case study approach to investigate an Indonesian eParticipation projects from Bandung, identifying affordance perceptions, enabling and inhibiting factors, actualized affordances and affordances effects. From the use of social media we identify nine actualized affordances and their effects, and we discuss the relationship between them. The case introduces findings from a developing country, a context that has largely been ignored within eParticipation research. Our findings provide lessons learned for practitioners on how to organize their eParticipation projects, as well as for researchers identifying future research avenues to strengthen our understanding of the role of ICT by introducing the concept of affordances.

Explaining history of egovernment implementation in developing countries: an analytical framework

The paper proposes an analytical framework to explain history of e-Government implementation over a certain period of time in the context of developing countries. The framework is built upon General Systems Theory (GST) and Institutional Theory enriched with literature from organizational changes, and information systems/e-Government implementation. Three scenarios of implementation are proposed, each with its own departing worldview (i.e., mechanistic, organic, and colonial systems), isomorphic mechanism, implementation model, and possible impact.

Does a land information system resolve land conflicts?: a tale from rural Eastern Indonesia

The absence of accurate land management arguably results in land conflicts as well as uncontrolled land use and conversion. The adoption of a land information system (LIS) might remedy such problems. Our study in rural Eastern Indonesia found that land management is a complex system involving various stakeholders, including the side of the local people and the side of the government. To some extent, an LIS is already in place but the actualised affordances it offers are limited because the system is hindered by numerous conflicts over uncertified land.