INVESTIGATION OF EXEMPLAR COUNTRIES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN BIRTH REGISTRATION IN IRAQ

Abstract

E-government is considered to be a new phenomenon in the revolution of information and communication technology. In recent years, clear steps have been taken by many governments around the world towards the adoption of e-government in order to enhance the engagement of citizens and other parties with the government, thereby leading to efficiency, cost-effectiveness, trust, transparency and access to government public services. E-government adoption is surrounded by major challenges, including technical, social, legislative and administrative barriers. The digital divide, in addition to other social and cultural issues, are considered to be important factors that impact on citizens' willingness to accept or resist this new innovation. The scope of this research is to investigate in detail the birth registration system in Iraq, how it works and how the paper-based registration system can be transformed into an electronic system. A preliminary set of use cases are suggested based on a quick study of the birth registration system. As the research methodology, examples reported to the literature from similar countries are studied in addition to recent information published on those governments' websites. The findings show the benefits of using e-government services to reduce the cost, time and effort required to obtain those services. Moreover, the findings state the considerable barriers related to the adoption of e-government applications. Finally, they indicate the possibility of starting to apply electronic applications with preliminary work. Information resources, system analysis and design, legal issues and project management are the limitations of this research.