博士論文審査報告書
氏名

Alahakoon Mudalige Uthpala Indeelinie
アラハクン ムダリゲ ウトパラ インデリニ

学位の種類

博士（公益学）学位記番号

公大院博甲第 3 号

学位授与報告番号 甲第 3 号
学位授与年月日

令和 4 年 3 月 26 日

学位授与の要件

学位規則第４条１項該当

論文題目

A Post-Implementation Analysis of Digital Transformation Regime for
E-Governance in Sri Lanka(日本語訳「スリランカ電子ガバナンスのためのデジタル変革レジーム」)

論文審査委員

主査委員

教授 ジハン シャザダナイヤール

副査委員

教授 三木 潤一

副査委員

教授 スルトノフ ミルゾサイド〇論文内容の要旨
1. Summary of the Thesis
The thesis is about analyzing the state of affairs related to the digitalization of government
functions in Sri Lanka. The process of digitalization was started in sync with the introductionof ICT in the country. ICTA designed and promoted the architecture, infrastructure, anddigitalization of government functions in the country. In the following section, I have laid
down the list of important research questions that need to be investigated and answered toform an informed opinion about the state of affairs in the country in the post ICT
implementation scenario.

2. Research Questions
I have formulated three crucial research questions for this thesis as follows:
・To what extent the operational efficiency has been achieved with ICT deployment in
20 D&Ms of the government of Sri Lanka?
・To what extent informational efficiency increased with the ICT deployment in theD&Ms?
・To what extent has PSD efficiency increased in a post ICT deployment scenario in
the country?
These are essential questions that are central to the analysis and inquiry carried out in thisthesis. In order to carry out a meaningful analysis to answer these questions, we needed some1

relevant data. The nature of the data and data collection method is briefly explained in thenext section of this chapter.

3. The Data
The data was collected through a field survey conducted from February through March of2020. In total, we surveyed 20 representative departments and ministries (D&M) of thegovernment of Sri Lanka. It was a bifocal survey; on the one hand, I questioned the ICT
regime implementors (officers and employees) about the ICT implementation. Tenquestionnaires were distributed and collected from each of the entities. On the other hand,a similar number of questionnaires were distributed and collected from the general public
who availed services from these D&Ms. In total, 400 responses were collected. We collected
200 each from both sides of the service spectrum. The questionnaire comprised 20questions divided into input and outcomes questions (input for D&Ms and outcomes forthe public). The responses were sought on a Likert scale: 5 standing for a strong agreement,
4 for agreement, 3 as neutral, 2 as disagreement, and 1 as strong disagreement. Input
questions have been coded as ICT, whereas the outcomes have been coded to reflect thedegree of satisfaction users of the ICT-based PSD had from the regime implementation.
Originally the questionnaires were designed in English and then translated into Sinhala
language, one of the major official languages of Sri Lanka, in order to assure ease ofunderstandability and response to the questions. The data thus collected was recorded into
a separate excel sheet and tabulated for further treatment and analysis. Keeping in view theordinal nature of the data, a transformed binary variable agree/disagree (AD) was createdfrom the variable "satisfaction" to allow better analysis and understanding of the data
outcome without dropping other variables from the final analysis.

4. The Analysis
In this thesis, I have applied a two-way analysis to cover multiple dimensions of
the analysis and reach comprehensive results. First, I applied data envelopment
analysis (DEA) to estimate the overall and relative efficiencies of various D&Ms
studied in this thesis. Secondly, I carried out a regression analysis to understandthe relationships between various ICT input measures and the outcomes of theimplementation of the ICT regime.
i. Data Envelopment Analysis
First, I have applied a nonparametric-multistage data envelopment analysis(DEA) to understand how the ICT regime performed. The three outputs factors2

(OP1, OP2, and Op3) were used in the analysis, and the technical efficiency (TE)has been measured on a variable return to scale (VRTS) from an output orientation.
Using standard VRTS and DEA models, we assumed output orientation as themagnitude and the direction of input has already been defined and is not alterable
in the short run (Fare et al. 1994). Thus, only outputs, i.e., services, information, andoperations, can be adjusted to allow our entities to perform at optimum scale toachieve maximum efficiency. Farell originally developed these efficiency measures;
however, the DEA has evolved as a body of knowledge and technique over time.
ii. Regression Analysis
For the regression analysis, the response data was categorized as inputs andoutcomes based on the nature of the response data. IT has been used as theindependent variable. The independent variable is satisfaction. Another dependent
variable, i.e., AD, has been used in the data; it is a transformed binary variable forwhich satisfaction and ICT are independent variables. We established a limit of 4 toconvert outcomes (satisfaction) into a binary dependent variable AD of 1 (overallagreement) and 0 (overall disagreement). It may be noted that our response data isordinal on a 5-point Likert scale where 5 stands for strongly agreed, 4 agreed, 3neutral, 2 disagreed, and 1 for strongly disagreed. To achieve this transformation
for all client responses ≥ 4, we allocated a value of 1 to this additional variable, andfor all responses < 4, we assigned 0. In this way, we assumed a careful approach inhandling and analyzing the response data. The robustness of the data was checked
via Cronbach’s alpha. I calculated Cronbach’s alpha to assess the reliability andinternal consistency of data’s test items.
Additionally, I produced multivariate ordinal logistic (logit) regression results todeepen our understanding of the relationships between various variables used in
the analysis. Ologit regression model is a generalization of a binary logistic
regression model when the outcome variable has more than two ordinal levels,
which in our case is 5. Ologit estimates the probability of being at or below a
specific outcome level, conditional on a collection of explanatory variables. Our
survey's observed ICT satisfaction level is the ordinal outcome, y, ranging from 0 to5, as described in the data section. As the response categories in our data arelimited up to 5, using a nonparametric ordered logistic regression model seems
most appropriate for our analytical purpose.

35. Results
The results thus obtained through a rigorous statistical analysis show that there is areasonable and understandable basis for continuing to invest in the ICT
infrastructure as it has positive bearings upon the PSD in Sri Lanka. The results ofour study indicate disparate performance across the entities of the Sri Lankangovernment. One can identify benchmarks as well as slackers in the whole PSD
structure through this study. It can suggest that apparent incongruity of results
across various PSD entities should be minimized to allow a smoother ICT
continuum ending in a complete transformation of the PSD structure in thecountry. We have, however, taken a 3-output factors (OP1, OP2, and OP3)
approach towards performance assessment in this study; those three factors
correspond to the first three factors of the ICTT continuum.
Consequently, I mapped out the performance of the public services in the wake of
the ICT regime in three areas, i.e., services (OP1), information (OP2), andoperations (OP3). Our findings suggest that OP1, i.e., technical efficiency scoreregarding public service delivery, is not consistent across all entities. With a TE
score of 0.957 (CRTS) and 0.976 (VRTS), service delivery at the Department ofImports and Exports (E3) has been the least inefficient area as compared to others.
That suggests that while departments and ministries have benefited from
implementing the ICT regime, the same cannot be said for the public service
delivery efficiency across all of them. There are few exceptions like E6, E10, E11,and E12 (the corresponding names of the departments or the ministries can becross-checked in Table 1). Department of Labor (E11) has come out as a star
performer in a comparative analysis with TE = 1 and a constant returns-to-scalesituation. It can serve as a peer to the highest number of other departments andministries, which is 8 in total. This result suggests that other entities should at least
replicate the Department of Labor's performance. Also, from a scalar perspective, theDepartment of Pensions (E8) has plenty of unused capacity; and, at the same time,
is facing a decreasing returns-to-scale situation. This situation may indicate astructural issue of the department, and the situation requires more in-depth insightto pinpoint the exact cause of the problem with the department.
In regression analysis, I have analyzed the effectiveness and acceptability of theICT regime in Sri Lanka, and results have shown that inputs of the regime arepositively contributing towards the program's success. However, the contribution
has not reached very significant levels so far. After explaining the summary
statistics of the data collected and various correlations, we use ordinal logistics
4

analysis to understand the interrelations amongst various ICT inputs and theirimpact upon the outcomes. Cronbach alpha has been calculated to test therobustness of the data. Finally, we conducted specificity, sensitivity, and predictivevalues analysis in order to assess the accuracy of the model applied. Lastly, thefindings suggest a positive, though a weak correlation between the inputs andoutcomes of the ICT regime put into place to digitalize the PSD in the country.
Also, sensitivity and specificity tests have been carried out for the AD, and theresults show sensitivity and specificity results for our model.
〇論文審査結果①テーマ：学術的・社会的意義を明確に意識したテーマ設定がなされているかMs. Alahakoon Mudalige Indeelinie Uthpala, the candidate, showed that she understoodand reasonably explained the academic and social importance of the thematic aspects
through the final exam presentation and the thesis she submitted. She provided manyreferences on her research theme's academic and social relevance in the thesis. The
candidate explained that introducing information communication technology (ICT) into
national governance would significantly improve people's social conditions if handled
well. Through the data and the analysis, she critically reviewed the performance of the ICT
regime executed in Sri Lanka. She also explained that the thesis also serves as a benchmark
for making changes in many other essential areas of the social life of the people of SriLanka through a proper introduction and implementation of ICT measures. The candidate
explained how the research is academically unique as the thesis is about analyzing the stateof affairs related to the digitalization of government functions in Sri Lanka. The process ofdigitalization was started in sync with the introduction of ICT in the country. Information
Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) designed and promoted the architecture,
infrastructure, and digitalization of government functions. The candidate also elaborated
on its value and importance to scholars and practitioners working on digitaltransformation and related change management.
②研究の位置づけ：先行研究や関連研究が幅広く十分に渉猟され、的確に理解されたうえで問題設定がなされているか
The examiners questioned at length about the candidate's understanding of the "academic
positioning of the topic" as presented in the final examination and discussed in the thesis.
The examiners noted that the candidate covered a large amount of literature to support theresearch and its positioning in the larger body of scientific research. The candidate
explained that the thesis covered the most relevant empirical evidence in detail. After
carefully examining the thesis, the examiners agreed with the contents and found the5

explanations satisfactory. The candidate explained that the study falls into the purview ofthe "digital change management in public service" sphere. The examiners were satisfied by
the explanation. The examiners also confirmed and concurred that the candidate had mademinor textual improvements by the final examination as advised in the preliminary
examination.
③論文構成・体裁：テーマに沿って問題が適切に設定され、一貫した論述が展開された上で明確な結論が論理的に導きだされているか
The examiners agreed that the candidate's explanation relating to the research questionswas consistent with the topic of the thesis. The candidate formulated three crucial researchquestions for this thesis as follows:•To what extent the operational efficiency has been achieved with ICT deployment in 20
departments and ministries (D&Ms) of the government of Sri Lanka?
•To what extent informational efficiency increased with the ICT deployment in the D&Ms?
•To what extent has public service delivery (PSD) efficiency increased in a post ICT
deployment scenario in the country?
The examiners also inquired about the overall "placement of theme in the body ofknowledge." The candidate explained that the topic is related to change management
resulting from introducing ICT into a governance system that replaces a traditional "paperbased management" style. The examiners also asked specific questions about the efficiency
resulting from the digitalization of public service systems. The candidate answered most of
the questions in this regard satisfactorily. After the final presentation, the examiners had aprolonged discussion about the concepts presented, comparing them with the contents ofthe thesis. The examiners concluded that the facts presented and the contents of the thesis
do match. The examiners did agree that the contents of the thesis in this regard wereappropriate, and the thesis does not contain any false assertions.
④研究方法：テーマおよび問題設定にふさわしい研究方法が選択されているか／資料の取り扱いや分析結果の解釈は妥当か
The candidate explained that the data was collected through a field survey conducted fromFebruary through March of 2020. In total, the candidate surveyed 20 representative D&Ms
of the government of Sri Lanka. It was a bifocal survey; on the one hand, the candidate
questioned the ICT regime implementors (officers and employees) about the ICT
implementation. Ten questionnaires were distributed and collected from each of theentities. On the other hand, a similar number of questionnaires were distributed andcollected from the general public who availed services from these D&Ms. In total, 400
responses were collected; 200 from both sides of the service spectrum. The questionnaire
comprised 20 questions divided into inputs and outcomes questions (inputs for D&Ms and6

outcomes for the public).
The examiners noticed that the data was collected using a Likert field survey and that its
nature and composition were original and very practical. They also agreed that analyticaltechniques used in the thesis to analyze variables of change management related to public
governance in the context of ICT adoption are novel. The candidate explained how theresearch results were practical and applied. The examiners agreed that the state and society
would benefit by implementing the proposals made in the thesis. These benefits would
arise from better and more efficient government services based on digital transformation.
Finally, the candidate explained how the questionnaire, the data, and the analytical
approaches applied in this study should be of interest to academia. The examiners
concurred that the candidate's assertions were weighty and that the contents of the thesis
do match with the facts presented.
⑤新規性：テーマや問題設定、研究方法や結論等に、学術的・社会的に注目すべき新規性が認められるか。
The candidate has applied a two-way analysis to cover multiple dimensions and reachcomprehensive results. First, the candidate applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate theoverall and relative efficiencies of various D&Ms studied in this thesis. The departments have been
denoted as entities (E, E1, E2…E20). Secondly, the candidate carried out regression analysis using a
nonparametric ordered logistic regression model. The model seems most appropriate for such ananalytical purpose to understand the relationships between various ICT input measures and theoutcomes of the implementation of the ICT regime.
The results thus obtained show a reasonable and understandable basis for continuing to invest in theICT infrastructure as it has positive bearings upon the PSD in Sri Lanka. The study results indicate
disparate performance across the entities of the Sri Lankan government. One can identify
benchmarks and slackers in the whole PSD structure through this study. It can be suggested thatapparent incongruity of results across various PSD entities should be minimized to allow a smoother
ICT continuum ending in a complete transformation of the PSD structure in the country. Thecandidate has taken a 3-output factors (OP1, OP2, and OP3) approach towards performanceassessment in this study; those three factors correspond to the first three factors of the ICTtransformation continuum.
Consequently, the candidate mapped out the performance of the public services in the wake of theICT regime in three areas, i.e., services (OP1), information (OP2), and operations (OP3). Thefindings suggest that OP1, i.e., technical efficiency (TE) score regarding public service delivery, isinconsistent across all entities. With a TE score of 0.957 constant returns to scale (CRTS) and 0.976
variable returns to scale (VRTS), service delivery at the Department of Imports and Exports (E3) has
been the least inefficient area as compared to others. That suggests that while departments and7

ministries have benefited from implementing the ICT regime, the same cannot be said for the public
service delivery efficiency across all of them. There are a few exceptions like E6, E10, E11, and E12(the corresponding names of the departments or the ministries can be cross-checked in table given inthe thesis). Department of Labor (E11) has become a star performer in a comparative analysis with
TE = 1 and a constant returns-to-scale situation. It can serve as a peer to the highest number of otherdepartments and ministries, 8 in total. This result suggests that other entities should replicate theDepartment of Labor's performance. Also, from a scalar perspective, the Department of Pensions(E8) has plenty of unused capacity; and, at the same time, is facing a decreasing returns-to-scalesituation. This situation may indicate a structural issue of the department, and the situation requires
more in-depth insight to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem with the department.
In regression analysis, the candidate has analyzed the effectiveness and acceptability of the ICT
regime in Sri Lanka, and the results have shown that the regime's inputs are positively contributing
to the program's success. However, the contribution has not reached very significant levels so far.
The candidate also presented summary statistics of the data collected and various correlations andused ordinal logistics analysis to understand the interrelations amongst various ICT inputs and theirimpact on outcomes. Cronbach alpha has been calculated to test the robustness of the data. Finally,
the candidate conducted specificity, sensitivity, and predictive values analysis to assess the model'saccuracy. Lastly, the findings suggest a positive, though a weak correlation between the inputs andoutcomes of the ICT regime put into place to digitalize the PSD in the country. Also, sensitivity andspecificity tests have been carried out for agreement/disagreement (AD), and the results show
sensitivity and specificity results for the model.
All examiners agreed that the theme, the data, and the analytical methods used in the paper are
original and very practical. They concurred that the candidate has dealt with all critical aspects of thethesis in detail, the conclusions match the research questions, and the analysis is appropriate andcomprehensive. The examiners also found that analytical techniques applied in the thesis to analyze
the situation related to digital change management were novel. Examiners also agreed that the resultsof the thesis have sufficient potential utility. Moreover, as a result of implementing the findings ofthe thesis results, the state and the society will benefit from better and more efficient public service
provision. In the end, all examiners agreed that the thesis covers and fulfills the standards required
for such a thesis.

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